Chris2112

[quote name='sub6' post='712092' date='Jan 13 2010, 11:33 PM']here's my rig, love it, had the head[attachment=40182:P2206_03_11_09.JPG] since march 09 and got the cab in the recent guitar guitar frenzy.[/quote] Nice bass too!

Wow, I never knew Marcus Miller was there.

So, it sounds like the Bass Cellar is still crap then!

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='1070602' date='Dec 27 2010, 10:34 PM']His solo on the extended version of I'm Your Man is brilliant (and I don't generally like solos)[/quote] Sounds like a Status bass he was using there!

He needs to take that hideous pickup cover off! I think people can also forget what a huge talent George is. People have gotten so obssessed with the tabloid excesses of his life, but he is such a fantastic singer.

Whilst I do love a good tone hunt, and I feel that these things should be documented and recorded for future generations to marvel at, I was always able to get a good Cliff Burton sound just by using a distortion pedal and playing with a hard touch in the right hand. Hardly scientific though...

Nice colour!

He also played bass for George Michael too, after Wham split. He had good taste in basses too; playing Status Graphite and Kubicki basses amoung others iirc...

I have no problem with them being 'production line'. It wasn't until the prices sky rocketed that I looked at Wal as a 'boutique' company. Before that, when they could be had for reasonable prices (being sold used in good condition at the gallery for around £1200!), I just looked at them as good, honest workmen's basses. Some of my friends can even remember when Wal were considered naff, when the music scene was wanting to forget the 80's. They had been the studio darlings of that decade and worked their way into the hands of many players, to the point where I recall someone calling them "the ultimate pub bass". And from there, they were out of fashion. Of course, for a number of reasons they're back in; not least of all people remembering that they're great basses and also that they wern't being made anymore. The fact that they're "production line" and pretty simply made should be a good thing, it should mean they can be turned out in larger numbers for lower prices without compromising on quality. That really would be the dream. Were the prices more reasonable, I'd consider collecting a couple over the years, maybe even ordering a Jonas Hellborg style double neck. Like I say, Wal are doing nothing to make themselves superstar basses at the moment and the fact they're being sold for extremely high prices in very small quantities is a great shame and not what I had hoped for when we all dreamt of Wal returning.

Well, those basses will appeal to a very select customer as the signature range from Warwick always comes with a massive mark up on the price. That said, the TM Stevens Streamer will appeal to no-one as it's so bloody awful! I always really liked the look of the P-Nut basses, it's just a shame they don't do a 4 string.

MTD are pretty easy to get hold of in this country, which is good because they're fairly good basses. They don't quite have the magic of the older Tobias basses though, or the quality of sound. Thats a shame, as Gibson still appear to be knocking out their interpretation of Tobias basses. I recall the Nashville era basses from Gibson being fairly well praised but there were concerns about later Gibson instruments. I guess with the state of play being the way it is, Mike will never be able to make the old classics again. Just another great company swallowed up and watered down by Gibson!

Lighter and easier to use in general, as long as you're careful with your gear.

I didn't watch the documentary, though I do recall watching the Live Aid DVD boxed set with my ex and being impressed at some of the basses. In the music video for "Do They Know It's Christmas" you can see someone playing a Wal bass. Also, Martin Kemp was a well known Wal user, though I think he also played a Musicman Sabre in the early 80's.

Actually recording things at a reasonable level is a big step forward. Too many records have been ruined in the past decade by the "loudness war". I much prefer a cooler recording; it's so much easier to mix and master and when you're done you've got a better record. Then you can just turn it up on your stereo, as God intended!

Is the G String weaker than the rest?

I really like the MK they have but that is one of the msot extreme prices I've ever seen on an Alembic bass in this country and it seems like a pretty standard model! The SC Deluxe is nice but I'm not keen on the SC with the Omega cut. I've never been a fan of the Omega cut really!

On the subject of fancy playing being worth listening to, Victor Wooten is the king of this. His stuff is just insane, and so hard to copy convincingly. Yet he has perhaps the most easily identifiable "voice" of any bassist since Jaco and he never struggles to produce catchy melodies. I think he really needs to get back to his bass prowess rather than focusing on so many "band" arrangements but thats another story... ...in the meantime, I am always awed by this performance.

[quote name='thodrik' post='1070417' date='Dec 27 2010, 07:38 PM']I like a lot of the music and the sounds created by the band, but I just don't like Morrissey: his voice, his lyrics or him in general. It doesn't bother me if others find him amazing, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I just will never be 'won over' by Morrissey. If the entire Smiths catalogue was released any of the vocals, I would buy it without question.[/quote] The problem with him is that he treats the rest of the band like three stooges. Just watch the video Nick posted, where his is flouncing about the stage like a bloody idiot. He is the person I think of whenever I hear people on this site complaining about idiotic, over-indulged frontment annoying everyone with their antics.

Well, I'm aware 311 were around well before Nu Metal, but it was during those years that they got some exposure in the UK. Not heard a peep since, apart from in the Warwick press!

[quote name='Soliloquy' post='1065629' date='Dec 21 2010, 01:22 PM']I couldn't agree less. I had a Wal that I sold earlier in the year. It was very old, and a beautiful instrument. I had it refinished by Paul at Wal. The impression that I gained with my dealing was that the new Wal business is nothing more than a money making enterprise. There really didn't seem to be any passion about the basses. I wasn't alone with the impression either, there was another guy there when I collected my bass, he thought exactly the same thing. £3.5k is an awful lot of money for a 'bolt on' neck design bass. There's very little of the custom element in the bass, not like Sei, Status or Jaydee.[/quote] I have to say, this is not something I enjoyed reading but that thought was at the back of my mind when Wal came back. During the hiatus, I was thinking "Surely, someone could be making a lot of money out of these basses if they were prepared to start making them again. Whoever owns the rights could make a killing". And sadly, it seems that the "New Wal" is just a money making exercise. It is good business for them to charge what they do because people are obviously paying it (probably in small amounts). But there is nothing in a Wal that takes a huge amount of time to make. The woodworking, even at it's most exotic, is well finished and functional rather than incredible. Not bashing what Wal basses are (I love them after all), but like I say they could make the same basses for less money and sell more as a result. The demand is certainly there to make Wal the bass of the moment again. I was just sat playing my ACG there, marvelling at the bass. The woodworking is better than anything I've seen Wal do. The fit and finish is superior, the electronics are superb. There isn't a corner cut anywhere on the ACG, yet it cost roughly 1/3 of the price of a new Wal or thereabouts. Whereas new Wal basses start at £3200 - so I'm guessing that will get you a Mk1 4 string with a bolt on neck and some basic top wood. My ACG harlot is about as highly specced as I've seen an ACG (or a bass). The quality of the build, woods and materials are all top notch and the bass competes with heavyweights like Alembic, Fodera and Ken Smith at an affordable price point. It is every bit their equal. It's proof that you can build exceptional basses for good value, and I'm sure Alan's order book will attest to this as a good way of doing things. With the ACG, you get a sense of Alan's passion for building and making fantastic instruments. I've not played a new Wal yet, but sadly at the moment I get the impression it's a front to get rich Wal chasers to open their wallets. I had hoped that the new era of Wal would bring back the passion that Ian and Pete brought to the brand, along with their reasonable prices. It seems this is just not the case!

I've got one of those Basslines Musicman style humbuckers in my fretless Sabre and it sounds incredible. Although I find it strange that Warwick still fawn over P-Nut, giving him these signature basses. I thought 311 had tanked since the fall of Nu Metal, you never hear of them over here unless you're talking about Warwick!

The PRS seems to often get the two finger salute, like the tax man! At work we were quoted some outrageous PRS licensing price, all to be able to use radios to listen to music in the work place. The radios were quickly removed and that was another buget slashed!

I've just had my ACG out brushing up on this bassline. There is a nice section near the end where the bass and drums just play together and then the drums just do a few bars on their own...it gives you a nice space to thump out the bassline and try out any fills you've been thinking of. I always play this one with my fingers and the bridge pickup on solo, digging in hard over the pickup for a bright burpy sound. Not the usual gritty picked sound of the records but an interesting way of doing it all the same! [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjeBUb4RW1g&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjeBUb4RW1g...feature=related[/url]