Chris2112

I'm not really seeing the obvious Kubicki influence, but I do like the look of that. I think that kind of "massive pickup" style pickup cover is a useful thing given that so many people like playing with ramps these days.

[quote name='LawrenceH' post='1064235' date='Dec 20 2010, 02:20 AM']I like the concept of fanned frets, but would be more interested in a less extreme version of it - say a scale length that varied by an inch or so.[/quote] If this were the optimum arrangement for the system they'd probably be making them like that.

His Warwick Streamers sounded amazing, it's a shame he stopped using them so quickly when Fender offered him this bass! But you can see how much it means to him to have it.

Yes, I must admit I have seen a fair share of cases where a bassist has used effects which have served only to highlight how bad they are. I've seen some particularly brutal mistakes with delay units, particularly where the delay sound is out of time or when huge glaring mistakes are repeated back fresh through the delay unit. Good grief! User discretion is advised!

[quote name='Wil' post='1063651' date='Dec 19 2010, 04:04 PM']You quite rightly say in your second paragraph that if someone were to make a ridiculous, blanket statement about a player's tone you'd probably dismiss their point of view outright, and yet you've made the exact same kind of statement about every single player who's ever wielded a P bass?[/quote] If I ever hear a good sound coming from a P bass I'll be sure to let you know! I'm not saying that it's a bad design in every sense, because it spawned the Yamaha Attitude bass which has produced some incredible tones.

I've always been interested in these basses, but they do come with a hefty price tag. I still want to hear one being given a fair play. Steve is amazing but he always plays so near the neck with so many harmonics (a style which is his own, in fairness) but it's not something that will appeal to the vast majority of fretless players. I'd like to see it given some Jaco style fingerstyle over the bridge pickup to see if it will burp and growl like a jazz should.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1063432' date='Dec 19 2010, 12:25 PM']OK Chris we get it you dont like P basses! Im not the biggest fan but do you have to call them "dire" or what was it before "clunky"? Some people happen to like them and you are only making yourself look silly IMO.[/quote] Pete, I'm sure you can see where I'm coming from here. In terms of discussing the tonal differences between a capable modern bass and something old skool, there really isn't a bass that sums up that farty old sound better than a P bass. I can totally understand why some people are still using P basses, because there is still a market for that (imo) horribly outdated sound. Please don't think I'm being "silly" simply because I voice a certain opinion. I've just seen someone refer to "Victors monotone, dynamically dead twang". I assume they must mean Victor Bailey, because no-one with a working pair of ears could say that with a straight face about Victor Wooten's tone, and whilst I agree that Bailey has never had the best tone I think it certainly proves it's a case of different vinegar strokes for different folks!

[quote name='skelf' post='1063559' date='Dec 19 2010, 02:37 PM']While it is very nice to be included in the above company my prices are no where near Fodera,Wal and Almebic. Alan[/quote] Of course Alan. The comparison is made on an assessment of quality across the board, not price. I think it's fair to say that your basses represent the best value for money in the UK at the moment. I think it's fantastic that you're able to produce such brilliant instruments at such a reasonable price point!

Billy and Paul are amazing together. The stuff they do from 04:21 onwards in this video is absolutely incredible...what a tune!

I saw this when Billy posted it a few days ago and I thought it was alright. Like most Mr Big it seems to have the usual great guitar and bass parts spoiled somewhat by lacklustre drumming and cheesy vocals. Billy and Paul are an awesome team but Mr Big has never been their finest moment. Having seen Billy live a few times now with Steve Vai and having seen Paul Gilbert live too I can confirm that they are indeed amazing but better off in these situations as opposed to Mr Big.

Also, if you struggle to get your slap grooving in a band context a compressor can be very useful, ironing out any blips and giving you a level playing field on which to slap!

I'm sure you'll find a folk scene!

[quote name='Fat Rich' post='1063345' date='Dec 19 2010, 11:13 AM']Music has changed a lot and the bass has probably become less important in the mix for many producers unfortunately so a less upfront sound is usually required.[/quote] Perhaps this is where the problem lies! And while I'm on this track, I think it's a shame that since the return of Wal they've started trading again at pretty much over "peak panic" prices, starting at £3200! I could stomach paying £2000 even for a new one but not that much. I guess they must be cranking them out fairly slowly with a full order book, but if they lowered the price then Wal could quite feasibly enjoy another boom like they did in the 80's and become the "in" bass. I certainly think they're popular enough in terms of demand to be able to shoot to the top of the UK luthier's market if they were priced right. I absolutely love their basses but they're out of touch with their "working man" aesthetic that gives them their charm.

[quote name='BTS_Spacebass' post='1063291' date='Dec 19 2010, 10:32 AM']It doesn't cover my lack of talent because thats apparent in the portions of our songs that are effects-less[/quote] oor-err! Has someone ruffled your feathers there! Quick, blow your own trumpet! Back on subject, I do find it quite easy to switch off from listening to bassists who use a lot of effects. If I wanted to listen to such a menagerie of sounds I'd stick on a Vince Clark record. From a bassist, I'd just rather hear the bass. Maybe one or two effects being used very sparingly (think Mark King or Jaco's occasional dusting of chorus/double tracking) but no more.

2001 called, it wants it's thread back!

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1063281' date='Dec 19 2010, 10:22 AM']I never wanted one before but as far as value for money they look a bargain to me especially when compared with the prices of the other basses you are putting them in company with. If their basses are as good as their necks I might have to try one out one day.[/quote] I do of course hold the older ones is the same regard as these top shelf basses, the newer ones not so much, aside from the Kingbass Artist perhaps. They used to be very reasonably priced on the used market. A couple of years ago I sold my Stealth 6 string for £750 and technically made £150 profit on it! When I bought my Matrix, there was a graphite necked energy selling for something like £400. Now, as I say, the tattier stuff like the unimpressive S4000 is pitched around the same price as the Stealth sold for! And the Stealth really was a marvel of engineering, perhaps Rob's finest moment for me. Had it been a headless 4 string I would have kept it, as it sounded great. It was a fantastic player, but as a headed 6 string it felt a little bulky and a 6 string wasn't something that appealed a great deal to me. It also cost me a Kubicki to acquire, something which was a bad move! You live and learn...

[quote name='theplumber' post='1063184' date='Dec 19 2010, 02:55 AM']Nice enough guitars...in fact guitar porn.....alright for a fly w**k.....but as we are all about playing music...not lusting over guitars...what kind of tunes are we playing on this stuff...and to who?[/quote] I'm guessing, having read what Sheldon has said about these basses, that I might find great use for one in the studio playing a wide range of tunes as I often do. If the string to string timbre is so evenly matched I can imagine them being well behaved at the desk and thus a pleasure to work with!

[quote name='Vibrating G String' post='1062223' date='Dec 18 2010, 07:37 AM']No Dingwall bashing but we can compare Sterling & friends to the Nazis. Fanboiness is ugly from any side [/quote] Mind you, Sheldon has been much more gracious, personable and accomodating than Sterling Ball ever is. Look how he has come here and engaged in thoughtful discussion with us, leading to us better understanding these basses; both in what they do and who they are made for. Sterling would have came in here and said "NO YOU ARE WRONG, YOU MAY NOT HOLD THIS OPINION AS IT CONTRADICTS WHAT I SAY AND BELIEVE. IF YOU HAVE A CRITICISM OF MY PRODUCT YOU MAY LEAVE AS I WILL NOT ENTERTAIN SUCH THINGS". I like Musicman basses but Sterling doesn't have many friends beyond his own troupe of fanboys.

I think I know where you're coming from there, and it reminds me of when people were obsessed with EQ settings at the start of the Millenium. Everywhere you looked online and in guitar magazines, they'd have "EQ settings" for copying a player's tone. I thought it to be the biggest load of rubbish when I saw something like this on another forum a few years ago: Stuart Hamm: Bass - 6/10 Mids - 5/10 Treble - 6/10 So that was it, that was supposed to get you Stuart Hamm's sound? I thought that was a big load of crap. Stu's tone was something I had been after since I was 15, I bought my first Kubicki bass without ever having seen one in person to get that sound. Simply tweaking a few controls on your amp was never going to have the same effect as having the same bass, the same amp, detailed study into the playing style. Even the minor details, like learning to replicate touch and plucking action are important. A Kubicki sounds like a Kubicki. A Ken Smith always sounds like a Ken Smith. An Alembic always sounds like an Alembic. Instruments have that inherent "tone", their own character that just can't be removed without serious and unncessary tweaking. You can't replicate Kai Eckhardt's 1980's Schack tone with something dire like a P bass and a flutter about your amp's EQ settings. The tonal characteristics of the P bass are never going to be able to produce a suitable result. Luckily, we seem to have moved away from this now. Particularly with older players who have a better idea of what different brands and instruments do and sound like, we are appreciating the instruments for what they are. I never use the EQ section on my amp now. I used to use it when I was playing live as an aid to balance the sound of the room, essentially so I could reproduce the sound I used at home. Now if I'm in the studio and I have my amp with me I still don't use it, as I'll EQ from the board. It is a fantastically useable and flexible tool but not one that should be relied upon too much.

[quote name='Fat Rich' post='1062438' date='Dec 18 2010, 01:31 PM']I can easily get the classic Status sound by boosting the bass and treble on the preamp on the new S2 Classics, but they're also capable of doing so much more.[/quote] And I think here is the crux of the matter! For a start, you have boost from your preamp to create that classic tone, which is never a good thing. And even then, it doesn't sound as convincing as the old basses do. And when it comes to saying the basses are "capable of doing so much more", I find that to be such an overrated thing. When I borrowed Conan's 1986 S2, it produced one tone, essentially. On both pickups, it was fuller. With just the bridge, it was tighter and burpier. I never used the EQ, I never the passive mode. It just did what it did so well. Being able to do many things can be useful, but the core tone of that S2 was so good you could have used it anywhere. A little tweak on your amp to accomodate for a room or venue and you've got it sorted, classic and distinctive bass tone right there. It's not that I don't like the newer Status basses, they are absolutely fantastic. But they don't strike me as "the best" like the old ones do. The older S2's, Empathys etc etc have stood up next to the best basses I've ever played as equals. And in company like Kubicki, Fodera, Wal, ACG and Alembic, thats is no mean feat. The newer ones are good but they just don't make them like they used to, and the prices are unpalatable to me when such fabulous value is available elsewhere on the new and used market. It also strikes me now that the quality of the woods being used, particularly in the bolt on basses, has declined somewhat. I suppose good wood is more difficult than ever to source but this really is a shame as there are a few slightly dull looking Status basses around now whereas they all used to look a spectacle of fabulous woods in the 80's! I also wish they hadn't stopped using the brass hardware and it looked much better than the monorail units and was no more difficult to use. Please do not think I am "Status bashing" or defaming some sacred cow. I know that Status Graphite rarely come under criticism and quite rightly so. They have a long history of producing fantastic basses and I've enjoyed being a Status owner myself. But they are drifting away from the market, a market in which at one time, everyone wanted a Status bass!

I get the feeling your Modulus could soon be going the distance to fund a Dingwall! I've always liked the look of the Prima basses most... This one here is owned by a Talkbass user, always struck me as particularly fine top... I like this one too...

Muse was just the kind of rubbish I was thinking of when I was considering how bad the over use of effects can be. Mind you, I suppose switching off the effects there wouldn't make it any better! IMO.

You'd be very brave to make the move based solely on migrating to a new music scene. I'd concentrate on sorting out a job in London or Bristol and then up sticks, at least then you've got some security while you find your feet and build your contacts on the music scene. As it seems that now it's harder than ever to make it in music, especially if you have any real talent, it pays to be realistic and focus on the real world first! Let the hobby come later.

[quote name='redstriper' post='1063120' date='Dec 19 2010, 12:34 AM']But the tone of those instruments can vary a lot and most players, (great or otherwise) try to choose an instrument that has a tone suited to them.[/quote] Indeed, Victor Wooten wouldn't sound anywhere near as good as he does if he played something like a clunky old P bass or a Thunderbird. Similarly, I doubt Mark King would get away with using tat like that in Level 42!