Chris2112

They may well do but they'd be overlooking the stunning Czech Euro basses. EBMM make a fine product, if a little middle-of-the-road and unexciting. However, the Spector Euro is an entirely different animal but I think, comparable in quality to a Musicman. At least their G string is as loud as the others! I must also commend the quality control at the Czech facility. It's always excellent. This was even more impressive a few years ago, when their basses cost about 60% of what they list for today. I can remember when I first played a Euro Spector, at Sound Control in Newcastle when they got two NT models in for £1000 each. They were really excellent and the novelty of playing an EMG P/J equipped bass was great. I was very much into Victor Wooten's 'A Show of Hands' tone and those Spectors just nailed that.

Great trade, Spector basses are excellent.

I always thought he was a good drummer who didn't really get a chance to shine in The Police because they were so awful. It was nice to hear him playing with Stanley Clark in 'Animal Logic'. He did the drums for Stanley's 'Night School' show a few years back and absolutely smashed the kit. As my mate likes to remind me, he also wrote the score for the PS1 game 'Spyro the Dragon'.

Here's hoping it can be sorted soon and then give you a few months without issue!

Is that Uberhorn fixed yet?

Shrieve is a very good drummer. Perhaps the most important record of his career is his solo album 'Two Doors' (incorrectly listed on Spotify as having been released in 1979, it was actually recorded in 1995). The first half of the album features eight songs where Shrieve plays in a trio setting with Jonas Hellborg and Shawn Lane. I recall that Lane had said that he and Jonas had composed the music, but due to the issues that Lane was having with his label, Warner Brothers, the album was released under Shrieve's name to circumvent the involvement of WB. The Shrieve/Hellborg/Lane side is really excellent, with a strong eastern/Indian influence on their high-stakes fusion.

I have never experienced anything like that. Like all the other graphite-necked basses I have owned, the Bogart has been uniformly stable. I've went through several sets of strings (following some great advice from another Basschat user on using pliers to pull the strings taut before locking them). I never take the strings fully off any instrument though, changing one for another as I go through the pack. However, I can understand the issues you have had. A few years ago, SKC Bogart folded. It has since been resurrected by the original builder, Stefan Heß. I have read posts from one Bogart owner in America who could not get some parts for his bass whilst the company was inoperative. They have been back up and running for a few years now and have expanded their model range beyond the Blackstone models that seemed to be their sole product the first time around. I have heard of graphite necks shifting, though it's very rare. Anecdotally, I recall accounts from Talkbass about a Zon and a Modulus (both pre-truss rod) where the neck had 'shifted' after fitting and produced an unacceptable bow. Certainly in the case of the Zon, the neck was replaced and the instrument went on. With the Bogart being a bolt on neck, I would imagine a replacement neck would solve the issue, as would the solution of having the instrument fitted with a truss rod, though neither is ideal. My bass is almost 25 years old so I think it will be alright. For the price I paid for it (£950) I think it's just sublime. The tone is just gorgeous and it sits really well, being articulate and clear without being too prominent or obnoxious in a mix.

Best: My SKC Bogart Blackstone. I spotted it for sale at The Gallery through the BC Commercial Sales forum and that was that, I had to have it! I've wanted a Bogart for years but my plans to buy one in years past have always fallen through. I have a different favourite bass in my collection every day but I think this one has had the most use so far this year. It makes me smile every time it comes out of the case. Graphite neck+Barts and a Noll preamp makes for a happy lad. Worst: Phil Jones Bass Bighead. It's an amazing little pocket preamp with loads of useful applications and tight, clean tone that really lets a bass sing. However, I've had so little time to use it I haven't even flattened the battery since I got it a few months ago! I need to make an effort to use it more as it's a great bit of kit and just the sort of thing I need.

Jeff Berlin is the master. I still consider 'Tears in Heaven' to be one of the best bass solo pieces ever written.

Yep, Geddy's best bass tone by far. 'Hold Your Fire' had the best songs but 'Power Windows' had the best production.

Jeff Berlin's 'Freight Train Shuffle': Just lush bass tone, so rich with midrange. Very articulate yet sits well in the mix and drives the music. The switch to a chorused sound for the solo tone is very cool. This is my absolute favourite and it's the sound I try to recreate when I play. https://youtu.be/PfwrcGLgwUU

That Modulus is very cool. Perhaps not rare in itself but fairly rare with all the original equipment. I do love a Quantum with a quilted maple top. Modulus had some of of the best quilted maple around. Is this one of your basses?

That shape is just sublime.

I've had a few and played loads over the years. I love 'em! I had a Zoot fretless with a graphite neck that was just okay. I didn't love it. I had a Zon Sonus Special which was really nice. Several Status basses too, but the Bogart is my favourite of the lot. I will own a Modulus some day, Im I'm sure and I love Geoff Gould's new instruments.

And here is the video I was referring to. I sometimes feel as though I've rather pulled off a coup as I got this bass for relatively little cash given the quality, sound and playability of it. I love this video and I hope you enjoy it. Part of the fun for me, and what makes it even more impressive, is that Stuart transcribed it on a 5 string when Alain plays it on a six. The jumps between positions are much wider and tougher on when you don't have a C string!

There is no shortage of capable woodworkers these days, that's for sure. The Zvetano basses look decent enough, although a search through Google images shows a clear evolution of the builds - I bet I could accurately discern the chronology of the instruments just by looking at some of the finer details and more intricate craft involved in some of them. One of the problems with using a sound clip to sell a fretless bass is that you had better be able to play it. Even a really good fretless sounds bad if the player is sharp and flat. FWIW, I think lines are a great guide but they need to be used in tandem with learned ears to play in tune. Although I think the proportion of players I hear on unlined boards with bad intonation is higher than on lined boards, particularly during position shifts. The savants like Alain Caron who can blaze with 100% accuracy all day long on an unlined board are few and far between.

Who is that playing in the video?

I've had a couple of rare ones through the door. On the subject of Status Graphite, I used to watch a video of a guy playing one on YouTube years ago, back when YouTube was nowhere near as big as it is now. I later ended up coming across a Series II on Basschat. I can't recall if it was an '87 or an '88. I bought it, and it was when I later watched this video that I realised I now owned the bass featured in that video! A strange coincidence. I also used to own a first generation headed Stealth six string in natural graphite, of which there could only have been a handful made. I have seen a green tinted Stealth six string for sale here and on Statii.com, but I haven't seen my old bass pop up since. I wish you could still get that S1 body shape from Status, it was really ergonomically pleasing. Probably the rare bass that gives me the most enjoyment is my Bogart Blackstone, previously owned by Stuart Clayton. I had long been a fan of Stuart's playing, and had known he was responsible for the sought-after Level 42 transcription books. I recall watching his cover of Alain Caron's 'D-Code' on YouTube, probably around when it was first uploaded. I was just in love with the playing and the Bogart Blackstone bass he used in the video. I had made various enquiries trying to buy a Bogart over the years, none of which worked out. To me, they were super exotic because graphite doesn't seem to cross borders - England is full of Status Graphite, France seems to do well with used Vigiers and whilst Modulus may seem exotic in the UK, they're pretty easy to get hold of in America. I always put this down to a lack of specialised dealers for these basses, meaning they tended to sell within their own borders. In all of this, Germany had the SKC Bogart, Schack and SKC Clover Slapper basses. I understand that Stefan Heß, the man behind SKC Bogart, supplied both Schack and Clover with graphite parts, including the shell for the monocoque SKC Clover Slapper, which was a German analogue to the Status S3000. The German graphite seemed so exotic. So frequently seen on Ebay.de and so rare in the UK. In the summer, I chanced across an advert of this guitar for sale at The Gallery and I had to have it!

Yes, silly me.

@Hellzero was that Overwater at Bass Direct recently? Looks a good 'un!