Chris2112

Finding "the one" has always been a bit of a funny thing for me, I've always tried to keep a Kubicki in my life as they are as good as it gets. I was lost without one! So in a way, #1659, my second Kubicki is my #1. However, my go to bass these days in my ACG singlecut, I just love it. I only play from the studio these days, but even then I like to rest the Kubicki despite the fact it leads an extremely pampered life being played from a padded leather chair in a studio! Getting the ACG was a revelation in that it was more than just an impressive bass which I loved playing, it felt like Excalibur in my hand. I feel like I suppose Vic Wooten does about his #1 Fodera Monarch. That the ACG Harlot Singlecut #1 will be in my hands in 20 years, albeit wearing the gentle mojo that a boutique bass could collect from studio use. I am so taken with the bass that in the new year (once the car insurance is paid for for another year!) I'll be ordering another bass from Alan at ACG. Likely to be the same shape and dimensions as my bass now, but fretless and with different woods. I hope that you are successful in finding a bass that is good enough to be #1! And if you ever want to try my ACG and you're in the North East of England then just give me a shout.

If I were upgrading the pickups in a bass and I'd be looking at two options; EMG and Bartolini. They're both fantastic brands as I'm sure you'd know. The Barts would suit better for finger funk and the EMG's better for slap and that sort of thing. I don't think it'd be possible to be disappointed with the results either way!

I suppose a large Stuart Hamm influence would be obvious when I'm playing my Kubicki, after all Stu was the reason I bought one in the first place. And since I play it through my Ashdown Mark King amp, which is very transparent, you get the full whack of Kubicki tone! I'd like to think with the ACG harlot singlecut I have my own sound. It reminds me of Geddy Lee's Wal tone on Power Windows. I suppose that's the filter preamp speaking! Tight, almost compressed bottom, a pronounced midrange and a sweet, subtle top. Very modern and hi fi but without being harsh or sparkly.

This dvd here: [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ed-Friedland-Slap-Ultimate-Guide/dp/B00008G90O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290373667&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ed-Friedland-Slap-...3667&sr=1-1[/url] It's by Ed Friedland, who is an absolutely fantastic player, and it goes right from the basic form of the techniques all the way up to the fancy stuff with a few tricky lines! I bought it a few years ago and it really revitalised my slap playing as it brought me back to basics and made me focus on raising the standard from the ground up.

That does have a really nice burpy sound to it. Possibly a subtle envelope filter maybe? Answers on a postcard!

[quote name='charic' post='1001149' date='Oct 26 2010, 01:21 PM']ACG graft bass i think will sit nicely in that budget. Maybe even a 2nd hand shuker....[/quote] If you're not looking to buy used an ACG Graft bass would be an excellent choice. They come with my recommendation, I was very impressed when I played one!

That is absolutely stunning! Definitely my favourite Overwater shape, I love the way they've created the illusion of the top horn, very smart! If you don't mind me asking, how much did this set you back?

Yeah, that was pretty horrid.

I watched that documentary a little while ago, very good stuff. Those Steinbergers are amazing basses, I only wish they were still being made, in the original 80's guise of all carbon graphite design. I'd buy one! If you like Steinberger tone, check out this video at 01:47 seconds, in the little section starting there before the solo.

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='1030825' date='Nov 20 2010, 08:15 PM']A couple of years ago Alex said Ken refused to take an order from the Bass Gallery because they didn't sell enough of his instruments! Thats why the Gallery have never bothered offering them since.[/quote] That sounds like a bad move, after all the Gallery are surely the longest established and biggest name in boutique bass sales in the UK - I've never known them to have bother shifting any high end kit!

That white tiger model looks awesome. Bass Boutiques in the UK have really gotten their game together in the past couple of years, we have an awesome array of specialists importing and selling fantastic basses now.

I love Victor Wooten, he is just amazing beyond amazing. This video has an immense groove starting at 01:52. And man, when he gets into it, it flies! This has to be one of my all time favourite videos on the net, I have watched it hundreds of times. . It's not available on youtube, but if you go on itunes and search for a song called "Be The Change by Guitar Prasanna you'll hear more of Victor at his best, with a typically giant tunderous groove at the end!

Save me a seat for the next one so I can bring my ACG and Kubicki basses!

I bought my ACG Harlot here just a few weeks ago! Typically stuff does sell here, although if it's crap you might have bother shifting it!

Who are Talon?

This is something I'd love to go to, if the workplace wasn't demanding my presence there!

I've never been blown away by those Peavey basses, they've always felt a little rough in my hands and never sounded great, although I do commend Peavey for making such a product at the price point. On the other hand, I used to own an Ibanez BTB405QM...I'd probably buy another second hand if I wanted a 5 string!

Even then, these daft S2000 basses have been so vastly over inflated, along with the other Status models. A couple of years ago, when the market was great and money was flowing freely these were selling for a few hundred quid, firmly established as the poor cousin of the S2. S2's could be had for less than a grand. I was offered Kingbass #4 for £800. Now, these are coming up at ridiculous prices, well over £1000. And the value of old S2's in particular stays very strong, well above inflation. I recall someone recently saying how he had always wanted one of these but then the market priced itself up by people asking for more and more for these basses. At £1000, you could have something really good from Status for a little bit more...

[quote name='zigmondo' post='1026458' date='Nov 16 2010, 10:24 PM']Hi Chris: what a delightful predicament you are in; my heart bleeds![/quote] Funny you should mention the Harlot singlecut as I am the proud owner of the very first one made! Alan tells me there are three Harlot SC's in existence, mine, yours and another 5 string somewhere. Yours look very nice indeed, and you've taken some stunning photos of it! When I first saw the Harlot in the photographs attached to the "for sale" thread here I liked the look of it but I thought it appeared a bit "elongated" and funny looking. I still went for it, on the basis that it sounded like it would be a hoot. Only when I met Peter, the previous owner and he opened the case up did I "get" it. What looked slightly long in the pictures suddenly made great sense! The proportions are excellent, and despite being a single cut, it is small, light and balances beautifully. Now when I look at it, I smile and think "that is how you make a bass". It's a dream to play, effortless. The way the bridge sits further forward than say, a Jazz bass creates the impression that you're playing something incredible small and comfortable. I could rant and rave all day about various aspects of the Harlot and why its so good, suffice to say as I have said before, that I believe Alan is [i]the[/i] best builder in the UK today, save for the specialist products of Status Graphite...but then we're talking apples and oranges! I am so impressed with Alan's vision that I want to get in on the ground floor with a bass and have his input and skills bringing it together. I often like to sit and scroll through the gallery on the site, and I wonder where you get inspiration like that from; to feel compelled to rip up the rulebook like Alan has and create something that is utterly unlike anything else and as far from a boring old Fender as you could get!

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1026301' date='Nov 16 2010, 08:01 PM']And if you're looking at great British luthiers you've got to at least check out a [url="http://www.gusguitars.com/"]Gus Bass[/url].[/quote] I've never liked those, they just look odd and lack that cool, handmade look I love so much. Going to the point of basses that have been made for you and whatnot, I can quite easily get on with a bass that hasn't been crafted to my exact specifications; I think a lot of people get hung up unneccesarily over measurements etc etc. Like seeing a bass with 18mm string spacing rather than 19mm and saying you're not having it. It just seems silly to me, every bass feels different and I can quite easily adapt to them without getting upset over these tiny measurements. So I think if I saw a Sei made with the woods and pickups I liked I'd probably be quite happy with it!

That Sei is beautiful...if it were a 4 string I might have well been on the phone about that!