Chris2112

[quote name='uncle psychosis' post='1325190' date='Aug 3 2011, 08:20 AM']Beautiful bass. What is it?[/quote] A very nice Sandberg!

[quote name='SS73' post='1362292' date='Sep 4 2011, 09:47 PM']Precise....much respect..... [/quote] What an awesome rendition! At first I wasn't sure how good this thread would be (I expected it would be mostly naff stuff like the bloke with the Flea bass and the guy playing Green Day). Bubinga's find is quite remarkable, especially that second tune! The guy has skills! This guy is absolutely awesome. Such clean, tight playing with great tone. He obviously has good taste in basses! I love his videos:

As long as no-one else asks to use your gear it's all good! That said, I'd prefer a middle slot. The crowd is warmed up but not smashed and you're not last out, which guarantees a late finish!

Here is a Wal...

Cheers Geert! As promised earlier, here is the back of the ACG. I could spend as long looking at is as I do playing it!

[quote name='EdwardHimself' post='1361577' date='Sep 4 2011, 10:21 AM']I was born in Newcastle and I wouldn't want to go back there [/quote] Yes, I suspected you might not be hard enough! You probably even own a coat!

And I've been to Liverpool and Manchester and I wouldn't rush back to either! But Manchester was cleaner, Liverpool was a better night out.

Great slideshow. That is a stunning bass!

The one thing that really makes Wal basses is the tone. Because for years there was nothing else like it. Even Alembic's filter preamps didn't sound like a Wal. And let's face it, they weren't purchased for their impeccable build quality. I've seen some beauties and I've seen a few that were a little rough. I remember looking at one particular fretted MK1 which was noticeably a bit shoddy. Rough patches beneath the finish were obvious and it spoiled it a bit for me. And remember that a few years ago they were thought of as terribly dated and unfashionable basses, the choice of the pub covers band bassist who thought he was a bit special. The irony being that they became incredibly sought after when it looked like there would be no more, and made popular by Justin Chancellor who could be playing a Squier for all we know, given his love of effects and processing! The great shame is that the new ones are being pumped out at frankly ridiculous prices (which is a bit of a low ball cash in for me). Anyway, back to what makes them unique: the sound. With the prevalence of new filter preamps they don't occupy that unique territory now. My ACG is not a million miles from the basic Wal idea. Mahogany body, maple neck, big Humbucker pickups and a filter based preamp. It sounds so much like a Wal out of the box that it cooled my search for a Wal considerably. I'd have bought one before now were it not for that bass. If I closed my eyes, I'd struggle to tell the difference unless I was fiddling with the controls. My bass wasn't created with the intention of making a Walnin ACG clothing, it's just those woods, those humbuckers and that preamp have resulted in a sound that was once exclusively 'Wal'.

They were popular on Talkbass a few years as a builder making half decent short scale basses. The general opinion seemed to be that if you don't expect high end boutique quality then they are quite reasonable. I don't think I've ever heard of one coming to the UK though. You could perhaps have the first!

[quote name='yybass' post='1359483' date='Sep 2 2011, 08:39 AM'][attachment=88503:photo_36.JPG] This one made it over here, next to the Sadowsky [/quote] There are some great basses in that photograph. Ken Smith, F Bass, Benavente, Alembic, Fodera...awesome stuff!

I remember that video of Wishnevski playing one of his basses in a backyard blues jam with a guitarist. I'd get the video off YouTube if I wasn't using my iPhone. It was hilarious, the playing from both musicians was so ponderous and awful. It was ridiculed on talkbass before they outlawed the criticism of anyone who uses the site.

A quick phonecall to Dawn at Status should let you know! She knows the score.

Get on those stunning Foderas and then give the Wal MIDI bass a go!

If you're looking for a cheaper 6 string there is an ACG on the boards at the moment for a reasonable price. I'd have a look at that, my ACG is the best bass I've ever played. I assume that ACG will be fantastic!

They are better than the equivalent jazz bass, or any jazz bass save for the big money ones. You'd have to spend some cash to get a jazz bass with similar spec (ebony board, flamed maple top, etc etc). They are essentially very different to the usuL choices of Musicman and Fender. The mk1 models are easily as well built. If a 6 string is what you want you may struggle to do better for the price. I'd go for a big money TRB if I wanted N6 string, but you could get two Myung basses and change for the price of a TRB. I doubt you'd be disappointed with a mk1 model, put it that way.

The first generation models are better, I wouldn't consider them outrageously good basses but they are at least very competent instruments. Nice tone and decent playability but they could do with rounded edges on the body. The second generation models are nowhere near as good. They don't sound great and they look and feel very cheap. A real let down for me.

The one in that shot is the ERB, it's not the same bass as the OP was making inquiries about.

[quote name='chris_b' post='1359412' date='Sep 2 2011, 12:52 AM']Sklar was also the bass player on Billy Cobham's Stratus: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmX0Qc_hfrw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmX0Qc_hfrw[/url][/quote] That's always the tune I think of in relation to Sklar! That said, I have Cobham's 'Mississippi Knights' record with Kai Eckhardt playing the bass on it and he certainly does a better job on Stratus than Sklar did.

'Wrong and Strong' and 'Astral Traveler' by Stuart Hamm, Frank Gambale and Steve Smith are incredible instrumental tunes. Amazing playing and fantastically catchy melodies. I've been in Spain for two weeks and the only music I have to listen to is the very meagre amount I have on my phone. The jazz fusion has really caught my ear.

[quote name='noelk27' post='1359397' date='Sep 1 2011, 11:54 PM']High C. Because a low B on fretless sounds like sh*t.[/quote] You must have had some sh*t basses then because the low B on my fretless Alembic sounded amazing.