Chris2112

Dots on mine, thanks! Preferably clay... [IMG]http://i669.photobucket.com/albums/vv52/Baryonyx2112/thebass021.jpg[/IMG]

I remember a few years ago a discussion on the internet about him being a bellend, apparently obsessed with making himself famous and insulting him for apparently being rude to someone in a segment of backstage footage from the 80's. I was quite pleased to see this rubbished, as he has consistently showed himself to be a nice guy with a lot of time for his fans. Superb bass player too. Whilst most of the pop bass players of the 80's faded into obscurity, you'll still hear Mark King licks in the library of any competent bassist playing today! Top that etc etc

Johngh cropped my post and couldn't remember what I had said, I can't be arsed to retype it either, and so we shall leave the Buzzard for now (in this thread).

That said, it would not surprise me if the whole episode had left such a sour taste in Rob's mouth that he didn't want anything more to do with the Buzzard.

[quote name='Warwick_Official' timestamp='1341530200' post='1720709'] Hey guys, with all due respect...this isn't my argument. I'm here for customer support and to share in the forum...hope you understand. Thanks! [/quote] As a representitive of the Warwick brand though, perhaps you could bring us some closure on this debate though, saying as it has raged on for a while now and remains very contentious, particularly amongst UK bassists with a particular affection for Status and John Entwistle. I know whats done is done inasmuch as the fact that Status will never be able to make another Buzzard, but the I'm sure the forum would benefit from seeing the facts of the matter presented from Warwick's point of view. You obviously have connections within the Warwick brand, I assume it would not be too difficult for you to speak to someone who could give you the facts? I have a feeling that if I reply to H.P Wilfer's email with a question of this nature he probably won't reply. My argument for this disclosure is purely academic as I think the Buzzard bass is a real train-wreck of the a design but I would still like to know the truth.

[quote name='slobluesine' timestamp='1341419740' post='1718741'] Paul Simon doesn't have a 'bass player' on his latest album, apparently he doesn't like the sound of a bass guitar, hmmnnn.... wonder how Bakithi took that one? Joni Mitchell also likened bass as 'that horrible brick wall in my music' (with the exception of Jaco and Larry klein) [/quote] You could argue that Simon has done little of worth since 'Graceland'. 'Rhythm Of The Saints' was hardly incredible, though it had a handful of glorious tunes on it (and Bakithi Kumalo, albeit playing a far less prominent role). Since then, Simon just seems to have released average to poor records. His latest is absolutely dire. Similarly, Joni Mitchell's records with Jaco or Larry are crap! Sometimes the bassist is just the making of the record. Klein's bass playing on the 'Shine' is superb. As for the documentary, I really enjoyed it. I liked the fact it was very well researched, and spent a lot of time focusing on the music and how that came about. I hadn't realised the record had been so controversial at the time, I thought it had just been a mega-hit and that Linda Rondstadt had bore the brunt of the argument against playing in South Africa. I also noticed the show didn't mention Los Lobos or the controversy surrounding their contribution to the record, though as an analysis of the record's mainly South African inspired roots perhaps that episode/track was considered beyond the remit of the documentary. That Tambo bloke came across as a bit of a twat though, just an idiot looking for something to complain about now that the apartheid system is dead and buried. Simon quite easily made him look an idiot when he described how the ANC were seeking to control the situation in a direct parallel to the way the the ruling goverment sought to control life in South Africa. One could not fail to see the genuine affection the South African musicians have for Simon. Graceland is undoubtedly my favourite record of all time (alongside Hold Your Fire by Rush), but to me, the reunion show didn't sound that good. Bakithi's Elrick sounded great but the Yamaha was a little lifeless. What really spoiled it for me is Simon's insistence on fiddling with classic songs. He is always looking to rearrange parts, add new rhythms or change melodies and they are usually hugely unsuccessful. The reunion songs just didn't seem to have the energy or the groove of the album tracks, mainly I think because Simon was in there changing things at the last minute and messing things up. He has been off the boil a long time and needs to recognise that he doesn't really have the touch of genius he did back then, and that meddling with the classics isn't doing them much good. One thing that really sticks out to me, as a Graceland pedant, is most live renditions of The Boy In The Bubble. For me, Graceland is all about the tiny details. When Paul sings "The bomb in the baby carriage was wired to the radio" on the record, he gives it a lovely melody that lifts at the end and really locks in with the sudden drive of the bassline into the chorus. It is a moment of true genius in a small detail that has a huge impact on the song. When he sings it live, he usually changes the phrasing of the line and sings it flat and stacatto, all in one note, taking the melody away and ruining the impact of the line. Sometimes, you can't improve on what you've already done.

[quote name='Bass-Thing' timestamp='1341503205' post='1720176'] Ok thanks for that Chris. I understand what you mean but do you know HOW he was forced? IE Did somebody put a gun to his head and give him a sledgehammer or was it just a court order which he has said he complied with? I would have thought also that regardless of rights to any means of production, you can't destroy or have somebody destroy their own property without compensating them financially. Of course if Rob did accept any such compensation, it probably means he hasn't just buried them under the patio after all . I wonder if HP Wilfer has a video of the moulds being broken, that he uses to cheer himself up occasionally. You don't fancy asking him personally do you? [/quote] If a court ordered the moulds destroyed, they'd have to be broken up. After all, it would likely declare the rights to the design as the sole property of Warwick, therefore you would not be able to own a means of making a copy. I'm not sure there was ever any legal action though, Warwick could sue Rob Green into bankruptcy ten times over with money down the back of the bait room sofa and they could threaten as such with little effort.

[quote name='Bass-Thing' timestamp='1341496063' post='1720041'] I'm curious to know what happened here. Why did Rob have to destroy the moulds? Doesn't make sense. [/quote] Likely the rights to the the Buzzard bass include the right to any means of producing an exact copy. The fact that Rob was forced to destroy the moulds has sometimes been presented as though it was an assurance for Warwick that he would not make any more, at other times it has been presented as just Warwick being spiteful because they had the financial means to bury Status Graphite and were determined to have their way.

[quote name='Warwick_Official' timestamp='1341356720' post='1717815'] Chris2112, I'm sorry the link was not to your bass. But...your email was indeed from Hans-Peter Wilfer. He personally responds to [b]all[/b] of the instrument requests. Your are correct, we currently do not have images of the 1990 LTD. Thanks for your support! [/quote] I find that pretty cool for a company as big as Warwick. Well, he has a copy of my images now for the file if he ever needs them, they were attached to the email!

Play it with a straight bat. The small increase in your premium will be less than the grief you'd get for lying to them.

[i]I Wanna Play For You[/i] seems to be the only record I would really revisit of that lot. The sound quality on Stan records is good though, so I can't see what a remaster is going to do for the tracks sonically. 'Remaster' is usually a term for boosting the bass and making the whole record louder overall so it loses it's dynamic punch.

I'd say a maple neck. It wouldn't be a Stage One without it! If you want a wenge neck you can always look towards other Warwick basses, the SS2 would suit.

[quote name='steve-soar' timestamp='1341342340' post='1717450'] And Rob had to destroy the moulds, so I doubt these basses will ever be built again. Shame. Maybe a Warwick/Status collaboration? [/quote] Rob has stated that even if he was allowed to make the Buzzard again he could not afford the tooling costs for the moulds. So there will never be another Status Buzzard, but no doubt a few more Warwick ones that never seemed as good. Got an email back about my Streamer, addressed from H.P Wilfer (though I doubt he had anything to do with the email). It thanked me for sending me the pics and linked me to a 1989 Ltd Edition Streamer Stage one that looked nothing like my bass, I assume they don't have any images of the 1990 Ltd Edition to link me to.

Check out Steve Bailey, famous fretless 6 string player. He has tiny hands, yet with practice he can manage some huge stretches (particularly when using artificial harmonics).

Email sent, lets see what happens...

I have always loved Warwick. In the past I had a Thumb BO that was lovely, but then I got this Ltd Edition Streamer from 1990... [IMG]http://i669.photobucket.com/albums/vv52/Baryonyx2112/Streamer1.jpg[/IMG] Truely, one of the best basses I have ever played. Absolutely stunning in every respect. One day I may enquire at the Warwick forums to try and find out more about it.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1341250535' post='1715789'] I thought the lyrics on the first album were the most godawful mawkish Moon/June crap I've ever heard. Didn't bother with any other stuff as a result. [/quote] Yes, aside from There's a Spy (In The House Of Love) the lyrics are either dodgy or dreary. But the fantastic playing, intelligent instrumentation and marvellous production make it more than worthwhile. Copeland was also on Stanley's [i]Night School[/i] DVD which is also very good. He is a great drummer, he just never got a chance to shine with Sting around

That is a hell of a price, no doubt dictated by Copeland - I doubt Stan can pull that much for a ticket! Should be an awesome show though, both great musicians (when piss poor [i]Police[/i] songs are avoided). If you are a fan of them, check out the [i]Animal Logic[/i] records, they are fantastic. Great, intelligent pop music that should appeal to musicians.

Usually take a seat on the left hand side of the stage, close to my amp and the drummer.

[quote name='kennyrodg' timestamp='1340999310' post='1712793'] Cheers Luke, you never know bud.Very kind of you to offer bud. In terms of tone then which I guess is why I'm drawn to that video, well that and Susan Tedeschi (who can do no wrong for me) I should be looking out for a Thumb then ?? [/quote] They are definitely the most devisive of Warwick basses, I have found! I absolutely love them, some people hate them and a lot of people love the sound but don't like the ergonomics of them. The Thumb body is very small (especially on the NT models) which can exaggerate the length to the first position. Because the bridge sits over your body (as opposed to being offset of your torso like a jazz bass), the neck can feel further away. A lot of people say they are neck-divey too, though I always wore my Thumb high so I never had a problem with the balance. They can also feel quite heavy, because of the bubinga, ovangkol or more rarely, walnut bodies. Sound wise, I used to think they sounded like nothing else. They still do, though interestingly, compared to my all maple, Bartolini equipped Ltd Edition Streamer, they are not as 'distinct' as I used to imagine. Classic Warwick low mid growl, they both do that in buckets though the Thumb I find a little peakier in the mid section, the Streamer a little more even overall. As for the Corvette FNA, I have never played a Corvette I really liked.

No mention of Hank Marvin? They are right about the use of an opening low pass filter in house/dance music from the 1990's. Seemed like every song in the late 90's/early 00's had a 'through the tunnel' moment!