Muzz

Can I have two please? My Dingwall's just the best fit for me in a bass I've ever played: play-all-day-light, all the tones I want, plays beautifully (great string tension for pick playing), and it looks very understated. I do love my Thunderland, tho - it's unique, I built it, it's exactly what I want in a rock bass, and it looks exactly as I had it in my head before I started. I couldn't sell either of them, and that's me speaking as a total gear-tart...

That's not the first Ibanez SR I've not been impressed with close up - a while ago I was all set to buy a new one (love the Big Singles), but once I had a couple in hand, I wasn't convinced with the QC for a £1000 bass.

I had exactly this issue with a neck, and in the absence of any cheap options, I strung it up (I didn't have a body at the time, so it went onto a 3x2 plank with a bridge bodged on ) with some D'Addarios I had lying around (high tension strings anyway) and tuned it up to F#-ish, then left it for a looong time (IIRC it was about 18 months) upstairs. I checked it every few months, and after a good while it started to come back, so I was able to start to wind the truss rod back in, and eventually it settled down into a useable state. It's been fine since. From a few discussions I had with luthiers, it's a pretty hit and miss method, tho, but at least it's cheap...

Not been impressed with the ones I've tried. Small, yes, but heavy for the size, and not very deep/loud.

Thanks for the suggestion, but the mic's off, unfortunately...

[quote name='JimBobTTD' timestamp='1385230910' post='2285923'] I've not had a problem with volume. What I will say, though, is that I have been pretty much underwhelmed by it. I use it with the GK app and I'm a long way from being ecstatically happy with the sound. [/quote] Did you try it with amplitube? If so, how was the volume with that? Don't want to throw more money after bad if it ain't the app that's the problem.

OK, soooo, in a bid to curry favour with SWMBO, I decided to to switch from using my Roland Bass Cube in the back bedroom (with headphones), to an iRig, but even with the full version of Amplitube, I cant get the thing up to any sort of useable volume. Tried several basses, and three different headphones, but all I get is low signal and lots of unwanted distortion. Tried the standard things like Input levels in the Settings, No Feedback, etc, etc - all useless. Anyone else encountered this, and is there a cure, before the thing goes back for a refund? Cheers, M

I had a 4001 from 79 till about 86, and I loved it at the time, but moved on - this seems to be a common scenario with most of the 'iconic' users, who are very often quoted as users, but in reality used them in the past but now no longer do. No problem there, they're a Marmite instrument, which woudn't be half the issue it is without the sterling* efforts of Mr John Hall, the Rickenbacker Chief Sales Prevention Officer... * See what I did there - I'm having a Ball here...

I use a couple of pieces of that knobbly acoustic foam, works just as well (and it's a great idea to isolate the cab from hollow stages), cost beans and is as hard to transport as, well, a square foot of foam. Having said that, I use a small, light cab and head (38lb 2x15 Schroeder), so it works fine, it probably wouldnt work as well under a stack or a Peavey 410...

There's evocative, there's referential, there's homage, then there's sounding and looking exactly like 1981. They're like a well-done tribute band to a band I missed at the time...

[quote name='pst62' timestamp='1384413839' post='2276305'] Hmm I coulda sworn I'd made a favourable and constructive comment on this thread? [/quote] I thought that, but there's two pretty much identical threads going at the moment...

Well, now he's part cyborg, he'll definitely outlive us all... I'm guessing his 'lifestyle changes' might be going to bed at 3am, whether the bar's still open or not...

Clever idea, hope he gets a result. I do, however, now have a mental picture of him getting it back and saying "Oh no...it's been damaged..."

We had a request for an Irish mini-set last year for a wedding, and in the right environment, stuff like that and 500 Miles goes down a treat: little old ladies elbowing the kids out of the way to get the dance floor . So easy to play you can have some fun with the punters, then you can go back to playing the more challenging stuff. We've made a point of putting all sorts of stuff into the set, and I really enjoy the changes of technique and pace which comes from playing things like Bon Jovi, Johnny Cash, Luther Vandross, Paul Simon, The Dubliners, Kings of Leon, Toto, REM, Stevie Wonder, Guns and Roses, Bruno Mars, Journey and Daft Punk. Ten years ago I'd have shied away from anything that wasn't rock-based, but I take myself much less seriously these days, and I'm a better bassist for it. There are new standards in stuff like Sex On Fire (I don't like it, but we always get asked for it), but with a bit of imagination you can keep people very entertained without playing Mustang Sally Oh, and we were once requested to play Enter Sandman and I Hate Everything About You at a wedding...

Love the pickups and surrounds - the look's very close to what I was going for with my Thunderland, although mine are just the covers and rings over Dingwall pups, and I couldn't find split older-style stacked knobs anywhere... How do the pups sound?

Yep, I'm sorry I sold mine, I should really pick up another as a backup. As long as you don't actually stomp on them much, they're fantastic.

She's a competent player, they are some great lines, meh....

In situations like these, always remember the old adage: It's easier to seek forgiveness than to ask permission...

It'll be interesting to hear anyone tell you with certainty what the change in sound will be. As much talk as there is about 'tonewood', it's all very vague when it comes to precise predictions, especially with combinations of woods. It'll certainly be less noticeable than a change in playing technique/strings/pickups/EQ. I had two basses, one Ash body/maple neck, one maple body/wenge neck, and with the same (admittedly hot) passive pickups (not even active EQ, which can be a real tonechanger), and same strings, the difference was minimal, and once the drummer started, pretty much unnoticable. There are people who will tell you they can tell the difference between fretboard woods without looking, but I can't. Birdseye maple will look lovely, tho, that's for sure Have you considered secondhand? I wouldn't consider a new one, as you say they're very very expensive, but most of the secondhand Warwicks I've seen are a lot of bass for the money.

That's fantastic, lovely voice.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1383841668' post='2269881'] Looks do matter to many. I`m one of them. There are many basses that are no doubt wonderful instruments but chances are I`ll never find out as I don`t like the look of them. [/quote] Yep, I've had some very nice basses, but moved them on because every time I looked at them, I went 'meh', and after a while, the 'meh' wins. Same for a lot of stuff I've never owned or tried.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1383823424' post='2269519'] Yes I am a little concerned about any potential warranty issues, amps do go wrong after all... I'm also not sure about the tube preamp in them - would that not make them a bit delicate for bumping around in the front pocket of a gigbag? Damn good price though... [/quote] I've been gigging my Streamliner for a couple of years now (ish), it lives in a padded laptop rucksack with my leads, it goes in the back of my car or in the van, depending on gig arrangements, and it's been absolutely fine, apart from the intermittent light thing, which it did from day one anyway, and is completely irrelevant for me. M

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1383764010' post='2268827'] However the goal is usually to put your own personality into the parts, not someone else's. [/quote] You've clearly never heard me trying to play Rush's YYZ - I get so much personality in there there's no room for most of the notes...