Chris2112

[quote name='Russ' post='1083814' date='Jan 10 2011, 12:52 AM']I've read the whole thread... seriously, Jens Ritter needs to give whomever made that bass a job. [/quote] Yep, I've just finished reading it. It is quite the convincing fake, certainly from looking at it I'd think it was a real Ritter! And given that it looks better than John Turner's, maybe his is the fake! As has been the case for a while now, players are getting on top of the fact that dodgy instruments are being made left, right and centre. Without naming any names, there is one guitar shop in the UK that was selling Eddie Van Halen "Frankenstrat" style knock offs. At the lower end, they were obvious Chinese Cheapos with nothing on the headstock. The shop owner was willing to get you a "custom order" from his unnamed builder which would be a dead likeness for a Charvel EVH and could even have a serial number matched from Charvel records. If you were prepared to pay top coin he could get you a Frankstrat which would appear as though it had came from the Charvel custom shop, with the paint scheme applied using masking tape to replicate Eddie's original homemade guitar. Like I say, this wasn't Beijing, Seoul or Los Angeles, this was sunny old England! Whoever did these builds must have been good because I'd seen some of the repair work people got through the shop and it was of a very high quality. In the end, I never saw one of these fakes in the flesh and I'm not sure what has happened to the shop or the luthier now, but it still makes you wonder!

It sounds like John Turner has really been made a mug of here. The topwood on the "fake" is better than the wood on his bass!

Sounds like karma to me! But forged instrument trading is nothing new. Just look at the Music Ground fiasco!

When is the UK tour again? I've got a ticket!

You must be running a pretty crappy amp or working in some pretty crappy studios then! I never had any trouble with my Spector Euro. In fact, it was always a dream in the studio, with that nice hot signal it always had amazing presence and was a joy to mix because it never faded into obscurity like some basses do. And through an amp, it was always beautifully crisp and growly. It sounded as good as the Status Stealth bass I had at the time, and that is high praise indeed.

I bought one of these years ago when they were brand new, it was my first fretless bass. The build quality wasn't excellent, I have to say. The neck pocket fitting around the body was a bit poor, on the front there was a noticeable gap at the bottom left corner that you could have probably wedged a credit card into if you'd felt inclined. The neck wood had that slightly chalky feel that some cheap basses have, quite odd. That said, there was some flame on the neck of mine which I suppose was the luck of the draw! The sound was never incredible but it was functional. I got mine before they got the Wilkinson pickups, although in all honesty I never noticed much of a difference between the two. The playbility was alright but as it was my first fretless, I was pretty far from knowing what I liked. Just make sure, if you do go to buy it, that you get a good price. Mine was £180 shipped when I bought it.

Get into latin jazz, it's very cool and there is a good chance you'll hear Anthony Jackson rocking a Fodera too!

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1082859' date='Jan 9 2011, 01:46 AM']I post vids of this lady whenever someone goes 'I have small hands so I need a skinny necked/short scale/miniature bass instead of learning how to play properly'.[/quote] Yeah, she is dwarfed by that TRB! It looks massive! John Patitucci knows a thing or two about having great singature basses though.

[quote name='4000' post='1082806' date='Jan 9 2011, 12:11 AM']Ah, you see to me growl is more of a lower mids thing. The last thing I ever do with most basses is solo the bridge pickup! [/quote] I look at it in different ways, as you can have that low mid growl like a Warwick Thumb has or a more nasally sound like a jazz bass. I remember when the whole bass world seemed hung up on growl and endless hours were spent discussing it!

[quote name='risingson' post='1083176' date='Jan 9 2011, 02:49 PM']I've played a lot of high end basses (never a ACG admittedly) that has sounded better than the two or three best Fenders I played.[/quote] Same here. I've been very fortunate to play many high end basses and they regularly trump the best Fenders I've ever played with great ease. Even some of the mediocre boutique stuff has been better than the Fenders! But like you say, it is a case of different vinegar strokes for different folks.

As soon as I find a P bass better than something handmade that sounds good I'll let you know, but don't hold your breath!

I'd rather just have an ACG and over £6000 change, thanks! It's be better instrument as well as being cheaper too.

Indeed, asking "where do I start with jazz?" is like asking "where do I start with rock?". I suppose I'd start right in the centre of the map with some Miles Davis. Because through Miles, you can trace the evolution of jazz in a way. You can go backwards through his career and hear the more traditional stuff, or you can go forward and listen to the roots of fusion and eventually "popular" jazz from the 80's! That said, there is so much stuff to get into, but I do find jazz particularly dull. Which is odd, because I absolutely love fusion and could listen to it all day!

The youtube link at the bottom isn't working.

Some pictures would be awesome!

[quote name='4000' post='1082796' date='Jan 9 2011, 12:07 AM']+1. Also, to me a J and a MM sound very different, especially when I'm playing them.[/quote] Same here. Although I do tend to usually just solo the bridge pickup when I'm playing a jazz bass!

Well, if you've been there and done it the most important thing is that you keep hold of the bass thats right for you!

Something to keep hold of then! I usually get rid of my basses fairly quickly as I used to be a real GAS head, but since getting my Kubicki and my ACG I've been content! I always look at the ACG and think of how cool it's going to be to have this uber-rare, first build ACG in years to come! I'll be like some old collector who admires his early 80's Fodera!

Is it the first ACG bass with the fibre optic LEDs?