noelk27

Well worth auditioning ribbon/tube hybrids - there are a few worth checking out, but you should certainly include the SE RT1 on the list.

[quote name='dangerbass' post='1031568' date='Nov 21 2010, 05:22 PM']does anyonr know why aria sb 1000s are 1400 pound on ebay but only 800 on mb music website..[/quote] Because there's been more than one series of reissue over time, starting in 1991. There are two distinct reissue series currently in production, one made in Japan by APCS, the other made in Korea.

[quote name='slaphappygarry' post='1031326' date='Nov 21 2010, 12:46 PM']On double bass I have never tried a ribbon due to them (now this coming statement is a sweeping generalization) having a much narrower freq responce (rolled of top and bottom). I do find myself using u87's, Blue Mouse (this is affordable and brilliant) and such like on a DB. Sometimes if the player is quite mellow I put a pencil mic on the finger board as well.[/quote] Think you might be surprised at how much detail a ribbon can extract from the low and low-mid frequencies when used with double bass, but it does all depend on context. With many condenser mics you can be impressed by the detail that's extracted, but this can often lack the musicality and warmth that a ribbon can capture, and when set in a mix lack cohesion. It does all depend on context, and if the double bass is the feature part I'd be more inclined to a U68, but if it's as part of an ensemble, then a quality ribbon, although it might sound dull in isolation, can fit much better in the mix, and glue things together better. Saying that, my preference is for a ribbon tube design - such as the Royer R122V, or the SE RT1 which I own - although you can always add some tube warmth to a ribbon during production.

So, mostly general purpose and not a specific project. Mostly use the ribbons I have for acoustic guitar and strings (bowed). Hell's bells, ribbons and bows, what am I talking about? But seriously, I picked up both an SE Electronics R1 and RT1 for use at home, and find that I get good results - more than enough source quality to use in final recording, with a little noise filtering. Of the two, the RT1 is the more capable, and you can get a fantastic warm vintage texture - as well as it not needing to be as carefully matched with a pre amp as many ribbon only mics. SE has discontinued the R1, so you can pick one up for a crazy low price these days (under £200).

Ultimate "for strings" ribbon mic has to be an RCA R44 - although not too many of those around. Of the more obtainable mics, you might prefer trying a Royer R122V - the value/tube hybrid - which is more suited to plucked/slapped, as opposed to bowed, executions. Blue's Woodpecker is also an option, delivering superbly detailed fundamentals. Don't ignore both the R1 and RT1 from SE Electronics, as these deliver on every level. And, of course, there's the Golden Age range, which includes active and tube active versions. What context are you planning on using the mic?

Eyestrain! Too many block caps!!! Better make an appointment at the optician before the government does away with free eye tests!!!!!

[quote name='tino' post='1023425' date='Nov 14 2010, 02:25 PM']Gumtree & Preloved from now on for me...[/quote] Gumtree is eBay.

No, it's the power circuit that's fried. The ability to service and upgrade an external hard drive is an option I like, as it usually is the disk itself that goes first. One of the reasons the CalDigit AV Drive would be a replacement outsider, if it didn't make such interesting claims about the enhanced Firewire transfer speeds. Speaking about disks, has anyone used the latest version of the Seagate Momentus, the XT, with the solid state section?

My poor (not so) old Rocpro 225 has gone to the great hard drive gig in the sky, and my immediate thinking was to replace it with the current Rocpro 850. But, before I do, wondered if anyone has experience of Rocstor and the likes of ProAvio's DV Box, Glyph's GTO50Q, Avastor's HDX800, or the new AV Drive from CalDigit. Any of these drives would be used for supporting ProTools sessions in operation, but not for storage of finished sessions (as completed session files are transferred to a separate back-up array).

[quote name='Circle_of_Fifths' post='1004188' date='Oct 28 2010, 05:34 PM']One of my favorite bassist, Nathan East has a video of him playing what inspired me to rush out and buy an AEB for myself, although I got a 4-stringer. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4hv_8TXFWg&feature=fvsr#"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4hv_8TXFWg&feature=fvsr#[/url] If you have a sub-woofie on your 'puter, now's the time to turn it to 12 o'clock! Just listen to him and the sound of that bass![/quote] East playing his custom shop Yamaha 5-string. He also has a 4-string example. Previously, he used Guild acoustic basses. I used to use a Takamine, but now play a K Yairi.

[quote name='Bassassin' post='1008006' date='Oct 31 2010, 11:19 PM']Electras were actually made by a number of different factories so you might not strictly be accurate saying it's a Matsumoku - although having said that, I dunno who did make this one![/quote] Setting aside that there were two importers using the Electra brand for the US domestic market, this Electra would have been manufactured for St Louis Music. SLM ordered stock from every major Japanese, and some Korean, factories. Very little of Electra branded product was manufactured by Matsumoku, until the Electra line was subsumed into the Westone brand. Unless this Electra has a Matsumoku serial number, on the reverse of the headstock, it's not a Matsumoku made instrument. If it does have a serial then you can easily identify its year of manufacture. The only exception would be the Custom/Limited Edition made Matsumoku product, which would have a custom code stamped in the pickup cavity.

And you don't think that neck looks in fantastic condition for a '65? Not that there's much of a '65 left - replacement pickups, pots, jack and wiring - all the bits that make the thing sound like a vintage Fender.

[quote name='Bassassin' post='1006210' date='Oct 30 2010, 12:19 PM']Thanks Noel, that's fascinating stuff & some very persuasive ideas. Don't suppose you have any catalogues or promo literature? I'd love to see some pics of the Matsuoka-made Shiros. Would you think a Matsuoka/Cimar connection had any credence? J.[/quote] Not that my research has been forensic, but what I've uncovered does lead me to believe that the Shiro line is the "missing link" between the Arai/Aria and Aria Pro II lines. That both Shiro Arai and Ryoji Matsuoka were men of similar ages, were teachers of classical guitar, were both based in Nagoya-shi, in Chikusa-ku and Nakagawa-ku respectively, and both went on to have substantial involvements in the building of nylon string and steel string guitars, it seems unsurprising that Arai would approach Matsuoka, among others, to develop a line of original guitar models. Arai had previously distributed and exported Matsuoka's classical guitars, a relationship established in the 50s or early 60s, so Matsuoka, who was a respected luthier and who owned his own workshops and small factory, was well positioned to fulfill design, development and manufacturing duties for a line of original guitars for Arai. (Hopefully I'll be able to confirm certain details of the Arai-Matsuoka relationship in the near future.) As for product literature, I have one brochure for the Shiro SE guitar line and a few other product images and catalogue scans I've been able to source on the web, but not a wealth of materials by any measure. (At some point I'll get around to scanning all the catalogues and product literature I've amassed. Pressures of work allowing!) Now that the potential Cimar and Kasuga connections have been drawn to my attention, I'll investigate this further whenever the names come up while I'm researching Aria, but it's not something I'm aware of at this time. As all JapCrap aficionados probably know, however, the concentration of guitar manufacturers in Nagoya, and across Aichi, not to mention in Nagano and Shizuoka, makes identifying exact relationships and tie-ups somewhat hazardous (to mental health and to social life). Someone who knows more than me needs to write a book, and spare me the headaches!

Which means Kasuga were based in Nishi-ku and Matsuoka in Nakagawa-ku, both wards in the west of Nagoya-shi (the city of Nagoya).

[quote name='Bassassin' post='1005060' date='Oct 29 2010, 12:36 PM']No headstock logo? If so I'd go with your assessment that there's no reason to think it's an Aria, after all. What do you make of the Aria-branded Kasuga LP?[/quote] There's a certain similarity between the headstock on this Kasuga and Shiro CS models. Am I right in thinking that Kasuga was also based in Nagoya, the same as Matsuoka?

[quote name='Bassassin' post='1005093' date='Oct 29 2010, 12:50 PM']Is the bass in question from the SE range? As I said when this came up previously, [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=7473&view=findpost&p=983921"]the bridge is identical to the one on my Cimar[/url] - which is from the era when the Cimar brand was controlled by Hoshino and was marketed as an Ibanez sub-brand. Early Cimar copies are very obviously not from Fujigen, and while the later original designs seem more consistent with Fujigen, there are some curious anomalies here & there. Could it be that Cimars were simply rebranded Matsuoka products? Have to admit Matsuoka is new to me, probably because I have little knowledge of Japanese acoustic guitar manufacture - but this adds an intriguing new level of confusion to the mix! J.[/quote] No, the SE series was much closer in design to the Aria Pro II TS (Thor Sound) series (although with a hint of SB style). Both the Shiro SE and APII TS used the same neck-thru construction, with three wide pieces of maple and two thin pieces of walnut, capped with rosewood touchboards. Only the top-of-the-range SE models featured brass nuts, however, but both series shared the cream/ivory pickups and mounts. All the Shiro models featured the "horseshoe" type bridge, also found on your Cimar. The TS series appeared in the APII catalogue close to the time that the Shiro SE series was dropped. This Shiro bass was in the CS series that stylistically has more in common with the APII CS (Cardinal Sound) series. Again, the CS series appeared in the APII catalogue close to the time that the Shiro CS series was dropped. After dropping the CS, Shiro ceased production of electric guitars and basses. When looking at the timings, Shiro models first appeared around the time that Aria moved from producing Arai Diamond models, and concentrated on Aria "copy" models. Given the heritage and reputation of Matsuoka, and remembering that Aria were as much an importer/exporter and distributor as a "manufacturer" in the late 60s/early70s, viewing the Shiro models as Aria's first attempt to produce a fully-formed line of "original" models is, perhaps, the correct approach. The Shiro models lack some of the refinements that can be seen in the likes of the APII PE series (debuting in '76), SB series (debuting in '77), and RS series (debuting in '79), developed by Hayashi-san, and manufactured at Matsumoku, but are attractive and interesting designs in their own right.

[quote name='Bassassin' post='618143' date='Oct 6 2009, 12:40 AM']I've seen the 6-bolt plate on an Aria Jazz copy - in fact it's right here: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=31614&hl=aria+jazz"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...mp;hl=aria+jazz[/url] Just goes to show, in the world of JapCrap, nothing is quite what it seems. Trouble is, we don't ever know exactly what it [u]is[/u]![/quote] I viewed that Jazz copy, Jon. There was no label or other marking on it to suggest it was Aria. Also, the pickups didn't look like the Maxon type I'd have expected to see on an Aria copy.

[quote name='Bassassin' post='1004557' date='Oct 28 2010, 11:36 PM']Certainly doesn't look like a Matsumoku - and tbh there's no reason why it should be. Shiro may be an Arai Co brand but they didn't exclusively use Matsumoku - Kasuga LP copies have turned up with Aria logos so there's every reason to think if this doesn't look like a Mat then likely it ain't one.[/quote] Matsumoku, Matsumoto, Matsuoka - hell's bells, all those Japanese names just sound the same! Shiro instruments had no connection with Matsumoku, but were manufactured by the highly-regarded acoustic guitar company, Matsuoka. Some sources suggest that Shiro instruments were high-end, which is probably true of Shiro acoustics (of which there are some models), but these electric models are better thought of as the first tentative steps into a new and exciting world taken by a long-established factory - footsteps which, ultimately, proved stumbling. A number of models - copies of Gibson standards, such as Les Paul, SG and 335 models, and originals, such as SE (Solid Electric) guitars and basses - were produced, starting in the early 70s, through the late 70s (possibly ending in 1980). (Having played an SE guitar some years back, I thought the general quality was fairly good, but that the performance was let down by poorly thought-out electrics and inferior quality hardware to Aria Pro II instruments.) Matsuoka also had connections to Hoshino Gakki, manufacturing certain nylon and steel string guitars for the Ibanez and Tama brands, and given the locations of both organisations, in Nagoya, appear to have used some of the same parts suppliers (seen in the bridge assemblies and control knobs featured on Shiro SE models).

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='757169' date='Feb 25 2010, 04:27 PM']I like the look of Pau Ferro but to answer the question it's maple for me [/quote] Pau Ferro is a Rosewood. But, in general, find it has more to do with how the wood has been treated, oriented, applied, and finished, than what the wood species is.