Chris2112

Jesus wept, what a beauty.

I believe he studied with Jeff Berlin at the Players School of Music back in the day. He is an excellent player.

Let's be frank, it looks like a heap of shite. The craze for vintage gear has resulted in even total nails like this dungheap being advertised with a stupid price. The most boring old crap advertised with fairytale prices.

At least it's not a P bass.

Ken has a certain vision for his basses. He is content that he has the recipe nailed. I think he does. However, in the context of when this was built, when Ken was building his business (already garnering a reputation for extreme quality), I can understand why he'd make it. If you have one of the most popular bassists on the planet looking to throw a load of cash at you to build something he has in his head, why wouldn't you? Ken has been candid previously about having said to customers that he'll build something to their specs but that he advised against it. I'm pretty sure that a conversation like this happened in this case because that bass looks as ugly as sin and probably had the weight and balance of the boat anchor it was modelled on. I would imagine that Stanley probably got the bass and went 'woah, Ken was right, this is awkward to play!' and put it back in it's case. I've never seen him use it live or record with it. At the time, Stanley was trying out a few different basses. It was in the same era that he collaborated on the composite Spellbinder bass.

What an amazing collection!

Edit: double post

I love the older, classic Jerzy Drozd shape. This new 'Soul' model doesn't look so elegant to me. The proportions just aren't quite right, giving it a slight 'melted by a hairdryer' look.

As chance would have it, I came in to work this morning to find out it has been destroyed in a crash and will not be coming back! 🤣

I saw the first video with him in hospital earlier on, it wasn't clear from that just how he had come about his injuries. I presume some sort of collapse and he has whacked his dome on the way down? As said above, the guy is a good age but will hopefully take care of himself after this episode. I had been concerned about him in the past, I think around 2020, when he was frequently posting expletive laden rants on Facebook. Seemed like his stress levels and blood pressure were through the roof.

One of the V90's I drive at work is less than two years old and only has 40,000 miles on it (or maybe 50,000). The air con has completely packed in. I may be looking back through rose tinted glasses but I don't think they're quite as 'hewn from stone' as they used to be. I am generally a Volvo fan but I wouldn't spend my own money on one now.

That is a really nice bass.

I absolutely love that. I'm in the camp that would prefer a plain black fretboard but overall, it is just stunning. Every single colour looks so rich and glorious, and Jens Ritter's colour work actually looks great in real life too (unlike say, Kiesel). Yes, I'd play the hell out of that bass.

They look much better in that configuration.

I hope it hasn't just been lost in the depot by the shipping agent. This happened to me a few years ago with a set of winter tyres I'd orders for a Jaguar XK8 (so a bit of a funny sized tyre). The courier (I can't remember who it was) failed to deliver the tyre and declared the missing item lost. I was refunded and Blackcircles sent me a replacement. A couple of months later the original tyre turned up after being 'misplaced' in the depot. Miracles can happen, even at shipping depots!

You've hit the nail on the head there about that inherent reverb. I was playing it when it I read your post and it struck me then that you are quite right, there is a resonant 'air' in the tone that is quite unlike anything else I've played. The other bass in my collection closest in 'spirit' and materials to the Basslab is my Bogart Blackstone. That has none of the 'airy' quality of the L-Bow. Well, I suppose with it being hollow all the way through, it will vibrate in a different way to a solid slab of material.

I will definitely get round to that when I get a new laptop. I could do with a useful home recording medium.

I decided to get the PJB Bighead out last night to see how this thing sounds through a DI. Absolutely mint, I'm pleased to say.

I had read before that the F Bass finishes were thin and easily rubbed through but I'd never seen evidence of it before. It looks nicely played in to me and ripe for a few UZEB lines! Enjoy it!

Even if he had a band with him, the music would be just as crap. Shame for the mugs who paid all that cash to watch this karaoke rubbish though, he'll be laughing all the way to the bank.

Since my last post here my Basslab L-Bow has been getting the most play. It's quite the instrument.

Evidently there is some link but I'm not sure of the inner workings of the arrangement (I hadn't even heard of Richter until now and the company is run by an Andreas Richter. The website has items from as far back as 2010 relating to the link between Basslab and Richter, stating that they had designed and built the StepAbout for Basslab and Greg Howard. Heiko is specifically named on the right hand side of the 'partner' page. So yes, I assume Andreas and Heiko have worked together. The BassXX preamp page on the Basslab website has a link to the Richter page. That preamp in itself sounds particularly fascinating to me, I'd love to try one at some point.

I think you are probably right! I found the site quite slow to load in my browser too, probably because the code is old and not subject to modern optimisation. It serves the purpose as intended though. Their newest bass is the Soul (the Jazz shaped model) and that is probably over a decade old now. In recent years Heiko has designed his own preamp in both inboard and outboard forms. The range has stayed static, perhaps, because Heiko hasn't needed to add new models or changes. They look extreme but then also feel natural, easy to hold and play. I've owned some 'high tech' basses before like a Status Stealth and Bogart Blackstone which aren't made of 'traditional' bass guitar materials. The L-Bow feels in many ways considerably more advanced than those basses. These are instruments that won't appeal to everyone but to a select few they'll be just what you're looking for, and the high number of custom designs produced would reflect that (some of the custom guitars and basses are pretty wild). I've always been fascinated by their double neck basses as I can imagine that they are extremely light and playable. If I ever win the lottery or come into some money, I'll be getting one!

I'll take one tomorrow to show this.