Muzz

Karl, if you want to try my Streamliner, give me a shout and we could swap heads for a few days (or if it's mid-week when I'm not gigging you could just borrow the Streamliner) if that'll help.

Yep, another here for the Streamliner - I used mine with the Super12 I had, and it was a great combination.

Sooo, after much searching for a present for myself for my 50th (and a well-documented disappointment with a well-known brand bass which I won't go into again), I happened on a part-finished stock bass on Jon Shuker's site. The bass was nice, but the neck wasn't what I'd have chosen, but a few emails to Jon, and he made me a neck to my spec and put in the hardware I wanted, and best of all, in three weeks from start to finish! The main reason I hadn't gone to a luthier for a build was the looooong lead times for a scratch build, but this way I got the best of both worlds. It's a Horn, in American Black Walnut, with a 5-piece maple/wenge neck, and a lovely birdseye board (I'm a sucker for birdseye boards), and I spec'd a dual-P pickup arrangement (EMG 40Ps) with a John East U-Retro. I think it's a thing of beauty, and best of all I gigged it for the first time last night and it does everything I want it to. I'm a very happy bunny. Had a great day in Derbyshire with the family on my birthday picking it up, and it was great to see Jon's workshop and stock/showroom - some loveliness there, for sure! Anyway, here's the pics: [attachment=160591:photo 1.JPG] [attachment=160592:photo 2.JPG] [attachment=160593:photo 3.JPG] [attachment=160594:photo 4.JPG]

I made the mistake recently of spending a lot of money on a bass with its appearance as a major factor, foolishly relegating the other factors into minority considerations. It turned out to be uncomfortable, poor on playability and lacking in tone. The appearance suddenly became much less important once I had picked it up and discovered this. It lasted less than 24 hours. So, I'd say wisdom lies in considering and testing all five factors thoroughly. I could live with less than perfection in a couple of areas, but only if the others outweighed them.

For the wedding/function band, it's suits and we have branded polos/caps/fleeces for the load-in and out. If we're playing a pub, it's more relaxed, but I tend to wear the polo at least when setting up, and change for the gig. It depends on the organisation of the gig to an extent - if you're just turning up with a bass to plug in and go, then as BRX says, dress to impress on the way in. But you'd look a bit daft manhandling the PA upstairs in stack heels or looking for an iffy XLR connection in sunglasses...

I've had mine for three years, and I've used it for one thing or another every single day (and I mean Every Single Day), and it's never let me down. Musically, I practice with it, use it for charts live (got one of them stand gripper things) and now I'm going to be using it for signal processing live, too (the Jamup Ampeg sim is very very good). So yeah, I'd say go for it!

Lovely bass, I love Jon's work. As a matter of fact, in the third picture, that's my new bass in the background...I'm picking it up next Monday

I had a SVT7-Pro, for a while, too, and I thought it kinda fell in between two stools: on the one hand, it does a good impression of a 'real' SVT (but it's only an impression, and there are smaller, more practical amps (and pedals like the Sansamp) which can do it just as well IMHO) and it's much, much lighter, but on the other it's still a rackmount heftyish amp (I took the top off mine, and there's loooooaaaads of empty space inside), although it'll go enormously loud, if that's what you're after.

It does indeed sound fantastic - that's the sound I was after. Sadly, neither of the ones I tried were even remotely capable of that!

[quote name='rogerstodge' timestamp='1396469252' post='2414130'] Identical to the one Jean Jacques Burnel had or still has. Lovely [media]http://youtu.be/Cje1W6iGesw[/media] [/quote] What a f*cking bass sound...

Not the way I want it - as I said, the one I bought (and the one in PMT) just aren't good enough as basses. Well, not for that money, anyway. There are some dogs out there...

Great looking bass, and a great return story...now if I can only find my old 4001, I might stop moaning about 4003s...

Having had and sold a great-condition, stock 3000A, I'd say £600 was a good price.

He's giving Thunderbirds a bad name...

I really liked my 4001, which I had for about six or seven years, but I can't say I've liked a single 4003 I've tried (probably half a dozen, in various shops), and it's not all about the ergonomics - I play a 22-fret Laklandbird with the world's worst top fret access ever, and I love that - they've just not been great basses, which, for the money, they should be. I've probably been simply unlucky: folk on here have good (great) ones, I'd say their experience may be the exception.

Great article, and just up my street these days. Ooo, I've got a quick question, too: how long's the iPad lead on the Sonic Port? Was going to use an iKlip on a mic stand, but I don't want the Sonic Port dangling... Cheers, M

I like to see nice wood on basses, and I love maple boards. Which just goes to show...something or other...

As an addendum to this one, I was passing PMT on Thursday, so as usual I popped in, and there on the wall (at £1699) was a 4003W. I took it down , tried it, and... ...it was as bad as the one I sent back. Fretboard littered with weak notes, nut cut a couple of mm high at the first fret, just lifeless. A £400 bass at best.