uncle psychosis

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='1328644' date='Aug 5 2011, 12:58 PM']If you are on about strictly Warwick basses, it'd probably be the first run of Streamers (paddle headstock as licensed by Spector with one piece bridge), JD Thumb basses (though both of these basses can still be found and bagged for less than £1k). However some of the early (proper) Ltd Ed basses are probably worth having. I've been offered £3k for my 5th Anniversary Ltd Ed Streamer (oddly made in 84 but released in 87) but I wouldn't part with it. [/quote] Nice bass. In a bid to answer my own qquestion I just made the mistake of looking for rare vintage Fender jazzes on the interweb. Now I have serious GAS!

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='1328577' date='Aug 5 2011, 12:20 PM']Of course if you keep your eyes peeled on ebay you can bag a mega bargain... [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130555047654&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_500wt_1156"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...T#ht_500wt_1156[/url][/quote] If I had the cash I'd be buying one or two German Warwicks and keeping them under my bed. I suspect at some point they will become trendy again and the prices will increase. Whilst we're on the topic of expensive basses---whats the holy grail when it comes to old, expensive basses? The bass equivalent of a 1959 Les Paul, say.

[quote name='Linus27' post='1326493' date='Aug 4 2011, 09:03 AM']Do you not think the Streamer is pretty? I think its one of the prettiest basses ever made and what drew me to it.[/quote] There's something about the shape of the Streamer that I don't like. I can't *quite* put my finger on it. It feels a bit like when you're watching TV in the wrong aspect ratio---people look just slightly too tall, or slightly too short, or slightly out of proportion. Its just...nnnnggg.....not right!

If I had £1000 to spend on a Jazz bass I'd probably come home with a Japanese Fender and a pocket full of change. Or a used USA Fender, and a pocket full of change. Or, and I'm serious when I say this, a Classic Vibe and a seriously full pocket full of change!

I'm not totally truly happy with my bass rig (yet) but I think I'm there with my guitar rig. So much so, in fact, that I have plans to sell some guitar stuff but absolutely no plans to acquire anything new for 6 string!

When listening to a sound normally a large part of what you hear is reflections from the walls, ceiling, floor, etc. When you put headphones on you don't get those reflections anymore and so the sound your ears gets will probably be perceived differently. If anyone has ever been in an anechoic chamber its a very similar effect---its very, very hard to play in tune in one.

[quote name='dc2009' post='1326629' date='Aug 4 2011, 10:54 AM']My first experience of them was winning my Hartke at their bass expo with Frankie Bello and David Ellefson a month or so ago. Winning £830 of Hartke has me on very jovial first name terms with a bunch of them, and given I've seen their prices, I've already gone to them to buy a coupla bits. The guy I know there responded within half an hour of my email and sent it on to someone with bass experience who also replied within half an hour, and messaged Gibson on my behalf, can't say fairer than that tbh![/quote] From what I can gather people's experiences with them tend to either be overwhelmingly positive or negative. Unfortunately my own fall into the latter camp---but sounds like they're giving you some great service so I can't blame you for buying from them!

[quote name='dc2009' post='1326572' date='Aug 4 2011, 10:14 AM']Awesome, big help thanks man I've been in touch with my friends at dv247 who have put a request into Gibson about the matter, I will report back when I hear, though have been warned that Gibbo are useless and can often take up to 4 months to respond![/quote] "useless" and "take months to respond" are some phrases I've heard in conjunction with DV247 before...!

[quote name='Tandro' post='1326354' date='Aug 4 2011, 12:39 AM']You guys are gonna laugh at me for this, but I've been wanting a particular bass for some time now. I had the money once, but don't anymore, Anyways, I've seen a couple times the 5 string version come up at a 'reasonable' price and been disappointed. But then I started actually thinking, I could buy the 5 string instead! Do I want to try 5 strings, sure. Did I really want to buy a 5 string anytime soon or have this great need to play them, no. I've never even tried a 5 string. I mean, I'd get a low B that must come in handy some time So really, I should not even consider spending a whole load of money to buy it, even if it is my dream bass. I must be ridiculous to even consider buying for this reason, right?[/quote] I just bought a 5, for almost the same reason Firstly, the five string version seems easier to get hold of and second, the 5 string version comes in a finish which I don't think is offered on the 4s. I've never really thought "I must have a five" but if its a bass you really like then just go for it

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='1326310' date='Aug 3 2011, 11:30 PM']a sitar?[/quote] No, but I've always wanted one of them

[quote name='dc2009' post='1326442' date='Aug 4 2011, 07:46 AM']I set up my bass flat, then get the sound I want from the amp. I leave the pickup blend and EA sections well alone until I want a minor adjustment, which it is ideal for. It's also nice for live usage, such as the variation between songs, without significantly affecting the levels. I love active Eq as it gives you that extra bit of control that can help so much live[/quote] Sounds good. I'm not really into effects on bass (I have one or two, but I'd rather have none...) but it would be nice to sound a bit different on different songs...

[quote name='Mog' post='1326289' date='Aug 3 2011, 10:06 PM']Yea unplug it when not in use. Aside from saving the battery it will stop you from knocking the thing over if your foot catches the lead. Tone wise it depends on what it can do. Some eq's are boost only some are cut/boost. I really only use mine if I'm going direct or want to remove excessive highs/lows onstage. TBH most of the time I run my basses in passive mode.[/quote] The EQ is cut/boost. Don't think it has a passive mode

Went on a bass-trying expedition at the weekend. The necks on the Ibanezes I tried were actually too skinny ( ) and the setups on the ones I tried were not good at all. Ridiculous fretbuzz and not very nice to play. Tried some Laklands but they didn't really grab me. Tried an Ibanez TRB1004 which was very lovely indeed. Also tried a Warwick Rockbass Corvette $$ which had one of the nicest feeling necks I've ever tried---I don't know what they do to make the wood feel like that but more companies need to do it. Still unsure on the aesthetics of Warwicks though! So having said that I wanted: 1. 4-strings 2. A natural finish 3. A G&L, Warwick, or Ibanez 4. A small neck I've just gone and paid for something *completely* different. I wasn't intending to buy something for a few months but something came up that I had to have. Watch this space...

Hey folks I should be taking delivery of a shiny new (well, new to me) bass next week. Its active and I've only ever played passive basses---so I have some stupid questions. Try not to laugh... 1. I need to unplug it when I'm not using it, right? 2. How long do batteries (typically) last in an active bass? 3. What is the "accepted" way of using the built-in EQ versus using the EQ on the amp? Amp flat and dial everything in on the bass, or...?

[quote name='dc2009' post='1323392' date='Aug 1 2011, 05:54 PM']Ok so I've promised the missus the [b]last[/b] thunderbird I buy (at least for a good while)[/quote] Blimey, how many do you need??

I'm not overly familiar with the tracks in question but the EHX Deluxe Electric Mistress is a very sweet sounding flanger, you could get a second hand one for less than £100, easily. Its all over a lot of 80s records. Another option is the EHX Stereo Electric Mistress, which does chorus and flange (One or both at the same time). They're pretty cheap too, especially second hand.

Hi folks I just picked up an EHX Octave Multplexer second hand. Initial impression is good, but I have a few questions: 1. Anyone got any recommended settings? 2. When I engage it I perceive a volume drop (theres definitely less treble). Is this normal? 3. When I put the sub switch to "off" the sound distorts a bit. It sounds a bit like a fuzz. I quite like it...but it seems odd. Does anyone else get this?

[quote name='dc2009' post='1325385' date='Aug 3 2011, 10:57 AM']I'd get out there and try a german made model to learn the difference, if you can play the two side by side it'd be even better. If you think the new price difference is not worth it (I don't think it is anymore), then check out S/H german ones, as the prices are comparable to new RB models.[/quote] I'd like to try a German one at some point but since trying out the rockbass I've arranged to buy something else, so it'll have to wait a while

[quote name='dc2009' post='1325365' date='Aug 3 2011, 10:39 AM']I think the profile/construction may be different though I'm not sure. The materials are certainly different, the rockbass uses a maple neck with ekanga veneer and a rosewood fingerboard, whereas the german $$ uses an ovangkol neck and a wenge fingerboard. You can get warwick wax to maintain the smoothness and playability of the neck and fretboard, I'd be surprised if a decent shop didn't routinely apply that stuff to their warwicks, rockbasses or not. As for the body shape, if it's aesthetics you're after, there are definitely prettier basses out there. Warwick do say the corvette shape is technically a 3/4 size body, and it is small next to many other basses. IME this helps reduce weight, and if you got the chance to play the thing standing up, I'd imagine you will have noticed how spot on the balance is.[/quote] Thanks for the info. Its not so much that I'm "after aesthetics", its just that there are so many nice-playing AND nice-looking basses out there that I don't see the point in settling for one that only meets one of those two criteria To be honest though, the only thing I don't like about the Corvette is that silly upper horn. Its too long and, to be blunt, looks like it belongs in an Ann Summers catalogue Shorten it and round it off (maybe make it more like an Ibanez) and the design would be amazing...

I would always recommend Yamaha to a beginner bassist. Or guitarist. Or flute player. Or....

[quote name='t_080_t' post='1325074' date='Aug 2 2011, 11:42 PM']I have had my an Electro Harmonix Q-Tron + pedal for a number of years and for the first few months it worked fine. Then one day i plugged it in and it just stopped working. This has been the case for about 2/ 3 years and until now i have never got round to doing anything about it. The light on the pedal still works and it still works on Bypass (my bass still plays through it on Bypass) but when stomped on no sound at all is produced. I was just wondering if anyone knew if this was common with these pedals or if anyone has come across this before and if so, is there an easy fix? Cheers[/quote] I don't know anything specific about this pedal, but working in bypass but not when engaged is a classic sign of a loose connection somewhere. I'd open it up and see if theres anything dodgy about the soldering on the jacks.

I tried a RockBass corvette $$ at the weekend, which was my first Warwick experience... Being honest, I don't really rate the body shape all that much but the finish (a lovely light natural wood) was beautiful. And the neck! Wow. The finish on the back of the neck was really smooth---was ace. Even my non-bass playing wife said "ooh, that feels nice" Does anyone know, do the current German Warwicks have the same necks as the Rockbass ones?

[quote name='wombatboter' post='1323872' date='Aug 2 2011, 09:31 AM']At a gig this weekend...Lately when I see pictures of myself I start thinking "who is this old man ?". Time is moving on :-) [/quote] Beautiful bass. What is it?

My guitars are insured through Allianz musical. If insuring through your contents insurance read the small print VERY carefully.

I use a DT-10 and find it works ok (bit slow sometimes, but its accurate). I tried out a Snark clip-on tuner the other day and it worked a treat on a 4-string. Has anyone tried one on a 5?