Cosmo Valdemar

[quote name='LemonCello' timestamp='1345393068' post='1777005'] [url="http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Alembic_Orion_4.html"]http://www.bassdirec...ic_Orion_4.html[/url] It's a lovely thing! [/quote] Lovely doesn't do it justice... If money were no object I would be placing my custom order with Alemnic as we speak. Even though it's one of the lower models, I think the Orion is one of their most attractive designs.

[quote name='noelk27' timestamp='1345420480' post='1777409'] But that just goes to show how the market views the "value" of Alembic, after you remove the "custom" aspect of the buyer equation. It's a good trick when it can convince the original buyer that "pretty" woods and 30-year-old technology are "worth" the prices it charges. And, that's all the Alembic USP these days seems to be how "pretty" the woods are. The shaping and styling is often a touch Marmite. Sure, when it first arrived on the scene it was doing some interesting, even unique, things with electronics, but nothing that run-of-the-mill manufacturers aren't also doing these days. All a bit Emperor's new clothes. [/quote] So there. And which run-of-the-mill manufacturers offer anything like Alembic's Series electronics?

Badly Drawn Boy once shot a video around some flats up the road from where I grew up...

The Vegas Job DVD is pretty dire, it should never have been released.

[quote name='Nicodemus17' timestamp='1345225814' post='1775301'] A neck through bass for less than what im looking at now is EXTREMELY tempting. [/quote] Don't fall into the trap of thinking a through-neck is better than a bolt-on. It's just a different method of construction.

I don't know why they didn't upload the whole track, his solo carries on after the vocal. In fact his playing is excellent throughout. I agree about his regular Status sound though, an over-processed, fizzy, artificial tone. And I'm a HUGE Entwistle nut.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1345123957' post='1773858'] IMO Thunderbirds don't look right unless they have chrome pickups and hardware. [/quote] They don't sound right either!

I would go for any of them and get it refinished. The current colours available on the US standard are very drab and uninspired IMHO. Fancy names won't fool me! As for the neck, it depends what colour you end up with.

[quote name='Spoombung' timestamp='1345197509' post='1774780'] They don't want some whiney twit screeching 'yaa maa wanderwaaaaallll', for instance. [/quote] Unfortunately, record sales and concert attandance would suggest otherwise.

Black hardware. Why can't they go back to chrome like the proper ones? I bet they'll use the current TB pickups as well, to make things worse... Hardly a reissue at all! Of course I could be proved wrong, but this is Gibson 2012 we are talking about.

Just sold a bass to Chris. An easier transaction I could not have hoped for. We had a good old chat about all things metal and bass-related - he certainly knows his onions. I would happily deal with again.

"Don't give me no lip, I got enough of my own" - Steven Tyler, Aerosmith, Falling In Love (Is Hard On The Knees) "I don't want to live forever - but apparently I am" - Lemmy, Motorhead, Ace of Spades (live version)

[quote name='thodrik' timestamp='1344547118' post='1766387'] There are some interesting bits to St Anger, but I can't take it as any kind of masterpiece for the following reasons. 1. The drums 2. Overly compressed and layered guitars which go against the ' raw' sound they tried to capture with the drums 3. Singing that is at times woefully out of key 'Ooooooohhhh what a good boy you are'. Well, 'its a raw production' you think, but then... 4. Multi-layered tracks of vocals, harmonising with out of tune singing! 5. Awful, cringe-inducing lyrics 'Frantic, tic tic, tic, tic, tic tock' 6. Tracks that are generally slabs of riff sections sandwiched together with no melodic development whatsoever. 7. The drums With all that said, it is probably the Metallica album I have listened to the most, just to see if I was missing something. After 9 years, I am quite convinced that it is still not very good. The first two minutes of Some Kind of Monster are great and that is about it. [/quote] Perhaps masterpiece was pushing it a bit... But I still think it's their most interesting album. James' primal scream in a lot of ways, and far, far better than exercises in water-treading like Reload. I think it's main fault is that it's too long, a couple of songs could have cheerfully been lost (Invisible Kid comes to mind). But it seems to be Metallica's way now to insist of filling every available second on a CD.