Chris2112

I've always loved "Wait and Bleed" by Slipknot. One of my favourite tracks of all time, incredible power and melody! And if you like grooves, check out 03:28 of this video. Sounds like a buidling falling over! "Remission" is easily one of the best records I've ever heard. I could listen to it all day long, and it's some of the only metal that really inspires me. .

Terrible shame to hear you've been stung like this. Jay, you should pride yourself on doing business well and with integrity. I think it is in the best interests of your continued use of this forum that you take action now to set things straight, I'm sure you'd be quite pissed off if someone sold you a lemon with a dodgy neck.

[quote name='molan' post='1033293' date='Nov 22 2010, 10:32 PM']Overall he just about broke even on the whole thing but it does make you wonder if they are paying closer attention than usual at the moment. . .[/quote] Think about it, the government here is eager to raise more cash from the things we buy (hence rising VAT rates etc etc). They are [i]absolutely[/i] looking to make sure no high value items enter the UK without them getting their cut. The government will slack and drag their feet when it comes to paying out to you but they'll chase you tooth and nail to empty your pockets!

I'll be honest, the only things more fun than playing bass are driving and playing computer games (excluding gentleman's sports with fair ladies).

Where is it going up? The feedback forum?

The Electric blue was one of the first proper combos I had, back when they were brand new. With my Ibanez BTB405QM, I had no trouble getting a range of pleasing tones although looking back they wouldn't cut it for me now. The MAG series I find less inspiring though, because they cost a bit of money and seem a bit lacklustre. It's fair to say I'm not a huge Ashdown fan in general, I really like the Mark King stuff though because it's so utterly different to the rest of the stuff in their range. I like the fact that other fanboys will recognise it as a Mark King signature amp, but I also view it was an extremely capable and refined solid state amp which is excellent for studio use.

Yes, I know that we are all "very English" and prone to bouts of good manners, but I feel that forumites abusing the trust and goodwill of others is not on and it should not only be acceptable to name them and make public what they've done, it should also be encouraged. This would in turn lead to a more trustworthy atmosphere on the forum, and hopefully encourage potential scammers like this to either do business to a reasonable standard or not do business at all. Remember the business with the Warwick Vampyre? I'd hate to see another scam like that (as entertaining as the fiasco was).

The intro of "River People" by Weather Report has an awesome octave line. Very tricky to get the feel right too, that will be a real test of your skills!

If it's right for you then whats to stop you playing more strings? Similarly, if a 4 string bass is right for you, whats wrong with that? I bought a Status Stealth 6 string once when I'd previously played 4 and 5 strings. I shortly realised that it just wasn't for me. I ended up selling that incredible bass to go to a 4 string Spector, which was the right choice for me. Everything since bar one bass has been a 4 string. Don't worry about feeling like you're losing your roots, imagine that you're extending them - after all, the EADG strings are still there! You'll end up back at 4 string basses someday though, everyone always does!

I think you'd be quite impressed with my Ashdown MK 500 combo. I used to have an Electric Blue combo that was useable but not spectacular. However, I bought the MK500 after seeing all the great reviews and also knowing that it was Mark King's signature amp. I'm very impressed with it. It's made in England for a start, to very exacting standards. I paid £500 for it used as an ex demo model, and aside from a small scratch on the badge it's in mint condition. It reminds me of the early Trace Elliot stuff; it feels and sounds suitably boutique and a real step ahead. The tone also reminds me of classic Trace Elliot stuff, bright and clear but with character and depth. You can tell Ashdown pulled out all the stops and I've a feeling that in years to come these will be sought after a "classics" of the Ashdown range. As per my offer of trying my ACG, if you're ever up North you can try my ACG through my Ashdown MK500 combo - I'm sure you'll be suitably impressed!

[quote name='Bassassin' post='1037124' date='Nov 25 2010, 11:11 PM']You find a ridiculous, ludicrous bargain - say, an MIJ Precision on Gumtree for £25. Would you feel that, if you decided it wasn't for you, you should sell it on for what you paid, or would you be OK selling it to a BCer for a fair approximation of the going rate? Would any BC members actually expect a bargain like that to be passed on?[/quote] I'd like to think if we get a good deal here, we can keep it "in the family", so to speak. I got hold of my Alembic Epic 5 string for £600 off the boards. I sold it on for the same price, to a buyer who had indicated interest to me early on when I was offering it for trade. I had offers that were higher than the asking price when I sold it, but not monumentally so. Suffice to say, I could have put a little bit of cash back in my pocket, but I didn't. I kept my word to the buyer and sold it for what I paid for it. Whats a few quid at the end of the day when this forum has given me so many good deals and so many awesome basses I would never buy new? It's all about karma...

I must agree with you there Tauzero. Not only do stacked controls look clean and keep a bass uncluttered, they're also extremely useful for remembering which control does what. See my ACG bass: It looks like a relatively traditional control layout, although in reality you're looking at a volume/balance control, a neck pickup frequency filter stacked with a boost control, a bridge pickup frequency filter stacked with a boost control and a dual band treble control (closest to the bridge). Having them stacked allows you to get to grips with the system fairly quickly, as it makes you immediately aware in a visual sense where you're tweaking the tone, which is integral to learning how to make the bass do what you want!

They certainly look interesting. As much as I support the use of high tech materials in bass building though, I'm not surprised the use of aluminium in this manner quickly went out of fashion.

I'll nominate the entire Gibson range just for sounding awful. I can't even think of another bass manufacturer that sounds as consistently awful as Gibson. Even Fender get it ridiculously right sometimes (Fender Urge basses, Zone bass etc etc).

[quote name='BassBod' post='1035956' date='Nov 25 2010, 09:50 AM']I'll nominate the Warwick Thumb - such a beautiful looking design, and great woodworking...compromised by heavy weight, peculiar ergonomics and floor diving headstock. Unless you wear it under your chin. Should have been headless. I have seen one, nailed to the wall in a German club, like a sacrificial offering. But it wasn't built as a headless.[/quote] I never wore mine under my chin, although I did wear it relatively high. I have never had any problems with balance or weight though, it was very comfortable to play for long periods. Compared to some basses that don't carry their weight well (like a P bass or a Thunderbird) it felt like a feather!

[quote name='zero9' post='1033863' date='Nov 23 2010, 01:41 PM']The double bass. It's too bulky, doesn't stay in tune and needs to be amplified.[/quote] Yeah, they may have been good back in the day but they're just pointless now, and they sound crap.

[quote name='voxpop' post='1034253' date='Nov 23 2010, 07:18 PM']How about my new BT6.......... Only 2 weeks old..... [attachment=64791:DSC_0007.JPG] [attachment=64794:DSC_0012.JPG] [attachment=64793:DSC_0005.JPG] [attachment=64795:DSC_0015.JPG][/quote] Thats so nice it's making my head spin! Gorgeous!

If you could get that back to natural it would be awesome, otherwise I'd go for a bright and colourful orange tone.

When thinking of this I usually think of Kubicki first, I'll elaborate on a few points: The neck is 34 laminates of maple, chosen by Phil because he wanted a super stiff neck but without the high cost of graphite. It's ultra stiff and stable and doesn't suffer from dead spots! The body shape is so comfortable but looks fantastic. The pickups are radiused to the fretboard and they have "popping" scoops out of the offside. The headless design is excellent, the 6 position preamp is also fantastic as it gives a wide range of active and passive options but is very user friendly and easy to pick up, unlike some of the more complex Alembic systems. And to think, that this was done in the 80's too, it's a bass that is still ahead of it's time!

There seem to be a lot of people asking about this now. Customs aren't mugs though, they're trained to spot just about every scam coming in to ensure that no one can buck the trade laws of this country. Every penny counts to Westminister now, and given the risk of trying to smuggle stuff in I'd day you're best off keeping it above board or just buying in this country.

[quote name='Faithless' post='1032978' date='Nov 22 2010, 06:00 PM']But, then, as I assume, people here are discussing the 'gear way'..[/quote] Well actually, we're discussing the "tone way". After all, my Kubicki sounds like Stuart Hamm's Kubicki, and I use that tone but I generally lack the talent to play some of his stuff!

Yeah, the Lazarus is absolutely beautiful. There was a Finn single cut on the boards here when I bought my Harlot which was later withdrawn, that was another very pretty one:

I'd class the Jazz as being a million miles better than the Precision. To me, the P Bass is a stone age design and well past it now. The jazz bass was a massive leap forward in design, because the shape and balance was better, the beck was better and the tone was better! Your could hear your bass, and it wasn't just the dull, farty P sound. However, I think the jazz bass is past it now, espeically in it's stock Fender type format. There may be a few miles left in boutique jazz basses but they're outclassed by the innovaters and market leaders now (Fodera, Alembic, ACG, Status Graphite, Zon, Ken Smith, Kubicki etc etc).