Chris2112

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!

It sounds like a good advert for an active bass. You can start to cut your bass and boost your mids when he hits the 'generic bass sound' preset on his console.

The most famous yellow Ex Factor is probably the one on the front of 'The Urge' by Stuart Hamm. The album's artwork had a black and yellow colour scheme so it was quite fitting. It was actually a fretless. I don't think it was ever properly used on that album, IIRC the only place it turns up is the first couple of seconds of 'if you're scared, stay home'. Vail Johnson also had a yellow Ex Factor too, but I haven't listened to his records in years.

Oh I beg your pardon, I thought this was just a repository for drool-worthy images! I've never been lucky enough to own a yellow Kubicki Ex Factor, though I have had both white and red models. Nor do I own a yellow Bogart, but I do have a blue one.

Yellow, my favourite! SKC Bogart Ingo York signature:

I bought one of these about 13 years ago at Howard's Bass Place in the toon. I paid £160 for it, I think - I had gone shopping to buy my at-the-time girlfriend a present and ended up blowing the dough on a new bass! I loved the bridge pickup tone but I didn't think much of the blend/neck pickup sounds. Not that it mattered, as the bridge tone was mint.

It's funny that should come up, as I had previously read unflattering reports from people who had met Stan in person but I usually don't put too much stock in these accounts. I'm sure it's difficult to reciprocate the constant enthusiasm you're met with as a musical hero, but were I in that position, I would surely try and be a gracious gentleman at all times.

It's a very long article considering that it says basically nothing. So he wears a navy jumper and keeps his head down, big deal.

Jesus wept, what a mess. I hope you can get it fixed and move it on with little loss. I know what it's like to lose confidence with something and feel as though you're just waiting for the next thing to go wrong and blow your wallet to bits.

I'd be a bit dubious about getting wrapped up in a deferred payment agreement with a third party company for something as minor as a set of strings. I presume you enter into a contract with this Swedish company to make payment to them at a later date?

No ripping off? Loyalties paid when asked? Paid when caught, more like.

Jeff used to have an unbelievable cover video of 'I believe it' by UZEB up on his channel. It disappeared years ago and has never been back. Damn shame.

That's because pub gigs are usually awful. Crap tunes being played for an audience with base tastes. Usually, dare I say, a musically ignorant audience. I used to work in a hotel and we had bands on every weekend for wedding functions over the summer. Most were not 'players' and banged out garbage tunes. Some could really play (I remember one band in particular used to warm up with Weather Report) but when the paying customers came in, they'd revert to playing the same stinky poo top 40 tunes that get the grannies bopping. I love jazz (but I find GPPH to be an awful, aimless tune) but it requires a refined audience to appreciate and as such, I wouldn't bet on finding any sort of audience for it on a live circuit. Even then, there is 'players' jazz or fusion and then there is soft, dancy jazz. The audience for each has no interest in the other. I love to play fusion with friends but I'd never expect to find an audience for it live. We play in a group for our own enjoyment. I just can't understand the mentality of players who join a covers group playing any old stinky poo just to get pub gigs and make a pittance (and then moan about it on BC). 'Mustang Sally' and 'Your sex is on fire'? I'd rather drive an icepick through my ears than have to play those live.