12stringbassist

Alembic, Inc. The goal. Aria 80's B.C. Rich Guitars The pointy ones Burns Gorgeous retro Cort Guitars Nice, not highly rated enough Danelectro Cheap, cheerful retro, great value Epiphone Save your money Ernie Ball Co. MusicMan basses. Yum yum. ESP Guitars Makes me think of Metallica etc - probably doing them a disservice. Fender The originals, if not the best Fernandes Guitars USA Inc. Nothing that original. Fodera Guitars Inc. Nothing that original. Framus Regret Gibson Their basses are not a patch on their guitars. Gordy Gorgeous Hamer Guitars One of the very best makers. Hofner Price x3 Ibanez I'm sure they're great but they have never really got me going yet. Italia Sparkle Jaydee The mutts nuts John Birch Once fabulous Lakland Basses They shouldn't have to resort to Fender designs Modulus Guitars They sound like they weigh a ton, with all that graphite. Peavey Mid range Plank Bass custom bass guitar makers who could have thought of a better name! Rickenbacker Fabulous Ritter Out of this world Sadowsky Guitars, Ltd They shouldn't have to resort to Fender designs Schecter Guitar Research Nice Steinberger Cricket bats Wal $ Warwick Dependable, great, exotic ..... but quite dear! Washburn Midrange Yamaha OK

Framus made two SuperYob guitars. The one pictured above now belongs to Paul Day. The other one was simply sold by Dave Hill. He now uses a John Birch replica with neck LEDs. Here's a photo of it from my Slade site, [url="http://www.slayed.co.uk"]www.slayed.co.uk [/url]whilst it was under construction .. [i]John Birch guitars, less the late John Birch, started work on a number of 'replica' SuperYob guitars. These were based quite closely on the original Yob, which Marco lent back to Dave Hill and John Birch guitars while it was needed. I don't think the small limited edition ever got to the intended number of 50 copies, which can only serve to make the small number that were actually built and sold even more valuable. Mind you, you could still get one made... Ex-Slade bassist Dave Glover did talk to the company about a bass version of the SuperYob, but the body to neck proportions would have been all wrong. The idea was abandoned. No basses were made.[/i]

If a company brings out a budget range bass, it should perhaps be badged 'slightly' differently. I suggested the idea of putting the W in a circle to very subtly point out the difference. As to the Warwick / Spector issue... licensing a body shape possibly shows a lack of imagination on Warwick's part, but they have made a good job of the bass and you know which you're getting if you have the choice of either in a shop, as they are badged properly. It's hard to mix them up. I was just saying Warwick shouldn't really just use the plain W logo on a Rockbass... but it's their decision in the end and the punters will probably flock to buy a Rockbass that doesn't clearly say it's a Rockbass anymore. Sales will go up - +1 to Warwick. It just irritates me in the very same way that 'Rockinbetter' copies of Rickenbackers do! My first Squier P was badged 'Fender' - and it was a good bass that was simply sold due to underuse.

[quote name='bumfrog' post='481811' date='May 7 2009, 12:06 PM']sounds like he cares more about what's on the headstock then what's actually in his hands.... Happens in all walks of life for all things. Some people like to wear the money they spend on their sleeve and want everybody to know they've spent a lot.[/quote] It's not all about what I've spent. I don't keep the price tags hanging off them. And I DO care about what is in my hands which is why I've bought the particular basses I own. It's all about Warwick branding their budget range the same way as their better basses. It doesn't distinguish very well between the two and is surely an attempt to boost their cheapo bass sales. I'm sure that all the Fender USA owners would love it if the Squier brand was rebadged as Fender, or Gibson buyers if Epiphones suddenly came out with Gibson logos. I wonder what Bumfrog plays? Or if it matters...

[quote name='jezzaboy' post='481505' date='May 6 2009, 11:07 PM']That bass is on the Glasgow gumtree today and he was looking for £200 a couple of weeks ago but has droped the price to £150 now. Jez[/quote] £150 is a reasonable price, providing it's mint.

As an owner of two "top range" 'Wicks, I'd prefer to see the logo on the Rockbasses clearly defined as visibly different from a first division Wick. Perhaps they could put the W in a circle, or something similar.

I used to be in a cabaret band, playing working mens clubs, functions etc. The setup / souncheck routine was diabolical. They would sometimes ask me to turn up at 3.30 on a Saturday afternoon for an evening function. Screw that. Bearing in mind the lead guitarist was pretty much allergic to bass and that I was wasting my time being with them at all as I liked to be able to actually hear my bass, I just let them carry my gear in, set it up and mic it up and I just got into the mix when I arrived. Quite often it was the case that we'd normally arrive at 6.45 for 7.30 doors. Not unreasonable. With my rock band, it's arrive 8pm for 9.30 start and if the punters hear a 5 min soundcheck, so what? The main thing is that everyone does their bit and gets on with it. People faffing about and not getting their job done need to be told.

[quote name='razze06' post='480803' date='May 6 2009, 11:43 AM']There's an epi explorer bass for sale on edinburgh gumtree, not sure if it's cheap or not... [url="http://edinburgh.gumtree.com/edinburgh/50/38504650.html"]link[/url] Never played one, don't know what to expect And by the way, first post :-)[/quote] My Epi V is above. Like I said, I had to raise the pickups as they are not very strong, plus the awful Gibson style bridge system makes it so the strings are way way above them. The build quality wasn't fantastic. I had to glue the nut in to stop it moving. Occasionally, one of the pickups cut out a little for a while - remedied once and for all a good squirt with some switch cleaner. New bass glitches that shouldn't happen. I may part with it one day as I never take it out with me. To be honest, I would not pay a lot for an Epiphone. Check net prices out so you know how any price for one you may find compares with what else is out there.

Dep gig with Flamin' Slade at the Robin 2, Bilston.

[quote name='Musky' post='479530' date='May 4 2009, 10:09 PM']Good point - the pound was seriously overvalued in the early eighties so that would have made any US made basses relatively cheap.[/quote] When I was starting playing in the mid 70's, my dream guitar was a white Fender Strat with a maple neck and trem arm. A shop near me, which, to this day has a reputation for being stupidly overpriced, was charging £425.00 for it. They justified the price by saying white was a custom colour (+ 10%), a maple neck was custom (+ 10%) and a trem was also an extra 10%. When I signed on for just a few weeks at that time, after leaving school, my weekly payment was £6.85. That gives you a clue of what that would have meant to buy that guitar at the time. My first bass cost me £35.00. The fact that the shop put it up by £5 while I was saving up for it, nearly made me give up the idea of buying one and learning to play. I don't want to sound like an old misery, but kids are so lucky now not to have to pay stupid money for decent quality instruments.

Aria ZZB. I've had this for 20+ years and it's still a great bass. All I ever did to it was change the strings, raise the pickups to max and also change the volume and tone knobs from the original plain ones. At one time, I wanted to be John Entwistle. How would you guess? Epiphone Flying V bass. Needed the pickups raising to the max again. Has a Thuddy Gibson growl. Got the action to be fairly ok after a bit of messing about (I hate that style of bridge). Neck dive is there but I always rest my arm on a bass anyway, so no problem. I bought this because I watched too many Marc Bolan videos one day and sometimes I have a stupid passion for pointy guitars. The best thing about this bass is that it once literally gave a wuss I was playing in a band with a migraine as the look of it didn't fit in with the 60's look of the band, according to him. It's based on a 1958 Gibson Flying V, which dates it from around the period of the group's music. The same people objected to a 5-string Fender Jazz bass, because it had 5 extra notes on it. Dullards. Gordy XR Custom fretless bass: I spotted this one-off bass at the now-closed A1 Music shop in Manchester and I couldn't resist it. The lowest string action in all of the known Universe. Effortless to play. It's not used very often on stage, as the case is bigger than the group van (!) but I took it into the studio for use on our version of 'Need your love so bad' and it was just the right bass for the job.

[url="http://www.crazeeworld.plus.com/kerbcrawlers/pages/gear_ian.htm"]http://www.crazeeworld.plus.com/kerbcrawle...es/gear_ian.htm[/url] Aria ZZB Deluxe Bass (blue sunburst) Burns Bison Reissue Bass (white). Cort Violin Bass (antigue sunburst). Danelectro Longhorn Bass (green burst). Dean Rhapsody 8 String Bass (natural bubinga wood). Dean Stage Acoustic guitar (natural). Epiphone '58 Flying V Bass (black). Epiphone Firebird guitar (white). Fender USA Standard Jazz bass (Candy Apple Red 2008). Fender 60th anniversary USA P Bass (3-tone sunburst finish). Fender Precision Lyte Bass (Toffeeburst). Fender Squier Modified Vintage 50's Precision Bass (Sunburst). Fender Squier Classic Vibe 50's Precision Bass (Lake Placid Blue). Fender Squier Precision Special Bass (Red sunburst). Gibson SG Supreme Bass (Quilted maple top). Gibson SGII guitar (Natural mahogany, 1974). Gordy XR Custom fretless 'Explorer' style bass (natural wood finish). Gretsch White Falcon guitar. Hamer B12S short scale 12-String Bass (Translucent cherry flame). Hamer Chaparral long scale 12-String Bass (Black) John Birch SCDR stereo bass (greenburst). Rickenbacker 620 12-string guitar (in Jetglo finish) Rickenbacker 4003 (in fireglo finish) Rickenbacker 4003 (in midnight blue finish) Rickenbacker 4003 (in limited edition Blue Boy finish) Tokai TST 50 guitar (Stratocaster type, fiesta red) Warwick Streamer Chrome Tone Bass. Warwick Custom Shop Thumb bass (Walnut gloss). Hartke bass rig (HA3500 350w head, plus Transporter 2x10 and 4x10 cabs) 2x Trace Elliott 715 combo amplifiers

His ego was bigger than Maradonnas. If he didn't think of a song, he left the stage while we played it. And he liked some complete sh*te.

[quote name='lozbass' post='475910' date='Apr 30 2009, 11:35 AM']I had a Pangborn Warrior that looks a lot like a Wal - I think there's a similar Pangborn Chieftain for sale at the Gallery[/quote] I had a Wal Pro1e years ago and sold it. Never had anything that sounded like it since. Wonderful setup but I found it impossible to get a dirty sound with it. Far too 'nice'. It had to go.

[quote name='redstriper' post='473853' date='Apr 27 2009, 11:36 PM']PS: Don't suppose you want to sell yours...............?[/quote] Hiya, I have sold a few basses over the years. Mistake. Never again!!

If you want a lovely deep thumping bass, the VM is probably the one you need. It's a very nice, sweet soft round bass tone with no 'clank' to it. 'Graunch' to me is a little bit of distorting / growling treble top end, when I play that bit harder. Have look at the 'Money' video at [url="http://www.crazeeworld.plus.com/kerbcrawlers/pages/video.htm"]http://www.crazeeworld.plus.com/kerbcrawlers/pages/video.htm[/url] There's a bit of farting about at the beginning and the depth of the Rickenbacker's tone isn't quite there, because of the video camera mic limitations, but the graunch is!!!

I just got a new (unissued stock) one from PMT in Salford a fortnight ago. It is a custom shop Thumb NT4 in a unique walnut hi-gloss finish. It should have been around £3500, but I got it for £1995. The Bargains are out there!

[quote name='redstriper' post='472899' date='Apr 26 2009, 08:06 PM'][quote name='12stringbassist' post='467048' date='Apr 19 2009, 09:01 PM'] I have a few Squiers and they are pretty good on the whole.[/quote] I like all 3 of those basses, probably prefer the 50s precision for looks. Which gives the smoothest, deepest sound suitable for reggae, (I would fit high gauge flatwound strings)? [/quote] I have responded to your PM. Looking at the basses as supplied stock, without getting into switching out pickups: The best one for reggae (for me) Would be the Precision Special (Try to get a standard one with US P/J pickups - it says 'standard' in tiny script on the headstock). The 50's vibe bass is a truly sexy beast but the pickup is neither fish nor fowl in that it has a thick mid, to the exclusion of deep rumbling bass and much in the way of biting treble. The VM Precision has a very LOUD bassy humbucker, which I had to lower flush to the body, it's THAT loud - and you will struggle to get any treble under any circumstances with it. Great for blues and possibly also for reggae, I guess, but while it sounds great, I always end up changing it after a couple of songs for something with a bit of graunch to it. This one would be great for reggae: My Fender Precision Lyte. This one wouldn't be bad either: Fender 60th anniversary P bass with s1 switching. and I guess I use my USA 08 Jazz for that sound too. ............. but we're getting away from the Squiers now!

[quote name='Zoe_BillySheehan' post='470088' date='Apr 22 2009, 09:02 PM']wow.. now a hamer 12 string would be nice.. Tom Petersson fan? Z x[/quote] Hi, I'm a big Cheap Trick fan. I'm not a great fan of TP. His playing can be excellent or rubbish. His sound is ecellent, though. I have met him a couple of times but am just not keen on his constant sarcasm. Jon Brant was a better player for CT on the whole.

[quote name='OldGit' post='470209' date='Apr 22 2009, 10:40 PM'] Hey you know your "12stringbass" Does it have really, really thin strings?[/quote]

Ooops! Not a bass! Ah well....... never mind!

Gas the drummer.

[quote name='thebeat' post='467729' date='Apr 20 2009, 05:35 PM']..maybe when i have a bit more spare change i'll give it a twirl, though the weight issue kinda puts me off.[/quote] The weight is not insurmountable. I've done several gigs with mine. Worth having a look for one to try.

I broke this one, totally and completely by accident - and I have never forgiven myself. I have tried to replace it, but am still looking for one...

[quote name='RhysP' post='467060' date='Apr 19 2009, 09:23 PM']Hello there! I'm a HUGE fan of Hamers - I've got two guitars (a 1995 Standard & a 1982 Special) and I used to have a Chaparral 12 string bass too. I've just had a look at the link to your gear - LOVE the John Birch! Did you get your Chaparral 12 string off Ebay a few years ago? I have a funny feeling I might have sold it to you.....[/quote] The Chapparal was a local purchase (bankrupt stock or something) from a shop in Bolton - last year. It was new, still had some wrap on bits of it. The Birch IS nice isn't it? Made in 1976. I have actually had some daft offers for it from the USA end, but I'm not wanting to sell it just yet, though it doesn't get out that much.