Somebody beat me senseless

[Golchen]

I was totally in awe of the GB spitfire basses at the weekend show, and also the somewhat crazy sound-to-light LEDs. Part of me thinks that I'd love to own one, but it seems pretty mad as I have a) limited bass ability thus far and I only play at home (thus far!)

If I could scrape together the funding for such a beast, would it be an act of unmitigated lunacy or do you think 'what the hell, go get one if you want it!'. My admiration for the bass community is such that I will bow to your collective wisdom.

I do already have a bass that is wasted on me (Custom shop Reggie Hamilton V wot I got cheap!), which I would have to flog to go towards funds.

What thinkest thou?

[NJE]

Never played a Fender Reggie but I can honestly say that GB basses are stunning in every way. Dont worry if you have the ability or about just playing it at home, if you like it and if it will make you play more and make you happy then go for it i say.

There is one on ebay at the moment as well for £1300 buy it now. I am conteplting getting a used GB spitfire at the moment but its a lot of cash for me at the moment.

DO IT I SAY!

[charic]

They are quite nice I have to say. Personally though I would go ACG (but I'm biased). I say try every bass you can (custom and otherwise) and make it your 'target' bass.

Then set yourself a target to reach (bass playing ability or life target) then start planning

My last one was a full time job (got it and treat myself to an acg)

Unfortunately the next step on for me is getting a house or having a kid!

[icastle]

[quote name='Golchen' post='1025977' date='Nov 16 2010, 03:39 PM']What thinkest thou?[/quote]

I thinketh that asking folks on here whether to buy new shiny things is liable to get thou the answer you seek...

[artisan]

don't f*** about matey just buy it,you know it makes sense

[gary mac]

Regardless of ability if you can afford it, just treat yourself..... cos your worth it.

[EBS_freak]

Fck it. Just do it.

It can always double up as a Christmas tree. And the only way to get those sounds is with that preamp. Beautiful.

[lozbass]

I've been playing for 35 years and I'm still sh*te. It hasn't stopped me buying four Alembics - just do it, you'll feel so much better...

[Chris2112]

I've got to be honest, I've never been blown away by GB basses, perhaps I am yet to "get" them?

Even when they look pretty, I've found them to have a fairly dull tone and playablity that doesn't wow me. I think they were epitomised for me in the Mark King "Ohne Filter" DVD, where they don't sound very good at all.

I'm perhaps in a minority of not being that impressed with them, but if you enjoy it then just go for it. If you can afford it, why not live well within your means?

[Flanker]

HaHa Seeing the thread title I thought somebody with a hatred for GBs had beat you up!

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1026054' date='Nov 16 2010, 04:51 PM']fairly dull tone

playablity that doesn't wow me[/quote]


??

Now there are two phrases that I have never seen used when discussing GBs. Each to their own I guess.

Flanker -

[Golchen]

[quote name='NJE' post='1025986' date='Nov 16 2010, 03:46 PM']There is one on ebay at the moment as well for £1300 buy it now.[/quote]


WHERE???? LOOKED ALL OVER AND I CAN'T SEE ONE. (oops, damn caps lock!)

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='Golchen' post='1026282' date='Nov 16 2010, 07:50 PM']WHERE???? LOOKED ALL OVER AND I CAN'T SEE ONE. (oops, damn caps lock!)[/quote]

Gone!

[Golchen]

Bl**dy h*ll! I figured that the sound to light system would be expensive, but I wasn't quite reckoning on £1.5K!!!!!!

Better start saving me pennies.

[chris_b]

I tried a GB bass when Bernie came to the Guildford Bass Bash 2 years ago and it really was an impressive instrument.

Last year I replaced a bass player who used a GB bass and his recordings for the band sounded very good.

I think a GB bass would make you sound like a million dollars.

[EdwardHimself]

Might as well get it. You can't take it with you, as they say...

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='Golchen' post='1027163' date='Nov 17 2010, 06:40 PM']Bl**dy h*ll! I figured that the sound to light system would be expensive, but I wasn't quite reckoning on £1.5K!!!!!!

Better start saving me pennies.[/quote]

Hey, they'll always get you noticed... even if it is for the wrong reasons. The amount of dep gigs that I have picked up because of them has been ridiculous. They can't remember my name but they still know me as the bass player with the flashy lights... (ok, the bass player with the killer grooves and chops would be preferable but it's a start...)

[Golchen]

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='1027609' date='Nov 18 2010, 09:05 AM']Hey, they'll always get you noticed... even if it is for the wrong reasons. The amount of dep gigs that I have picked up because of them has been ridiculous. They can't remember my name but they still know me as the bass player with the flashy lights... (ok, the bass player with the killer grooves and chops would be preferable but it's a start...)
[/quote]


I assume that you have a GB bass then? What's your opinion of them in general?

[EBS_freak]

PM me with what you want to know.

[chris_b]

What's the problem with letting the rest of us know?

[xilddx]

I've met Bernie and he's a great geezer, he has very strong opinions on what makes a great bass, and he certainly makes superb basses. I tried some, new and old, and they sound great and are extremely comfortable and versatile. They are not entirely to my taste so I probably wouldn't go for one, but there is no doubting, they are superb basses and I should think worth every penny. If I did go for one, it would be a white or powder blue 4-string Spitfire.

EDIT: He made some very minor looking tweaks over a couple of minutes to my already very good set up on my Warwick Corvette, and it felt like a new bass!

Edited November 18, 2010 by silddx

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='chris_b' post='1027914' date='Nov 18 2010, 01:41 PM']What's the problem with letting the rest of us know?[/quote]

I don't mind writing here but I could harp on about GBs for days, some specific areas that you would like to know about could be a useful starting point. The same kind of things apply as other basses, feel, action, tone for example is personal - for me GBs are bang on and the most comfortable bass I have found to date. Tone is subjective, again, GB does it for me... do you want to know about the limits of what GBs can and can't do? Prices, the build process, the options, the toys...?

Give me a clue!

[Golchen]

Questions:

First of all, where can I get a big pic of Jessica Alba's ass? Sorry ....... that avatar is always distracting me!

Difficult to know what to ask really, I'm in touch with Bernie via email already over spec related stuff, and I heard and saw them at the weekend show (although I felt a bit too cr*p to try one at the time - mistake!)

Worth the money or just a wee bit of a mad indulgence? I just think that their spitfire in particular, when made from some lovely woods, is the most beautiful bass ever. The money seems a bit crazy when you can get a very excellent bass for £1K. Do you think that the quality of the bass, the playability and the sound are a good trade off for the cost?

I love the look of the sound-to-light system as well, but it's MEGA expensive isn't it! I'd have to go for that at a later date. I used to have a Status bass with plain on-off LEDs and I absolutely loved them, so I'd really like to get something like that. Would you get it again if you lost your bass, or is it too indulgent for the money?

I'm not really a bass player even, but at the grand old age of 47 I have been through various instruments in my life and I have gravitated to 'expensive' items along the way as more spare cash has materialised (my best electric, acoustic, bass and chapman stick are all over £2K new). There's something great about superbly made instruments! The bass that I have at the moment is extremely good already, and this makes me think that maybe I shouldn't go for a GB. I doubt that it will be any better than my Fender custom shop to be honest.


I'd love to hear anything positive (or negative) that you have to say about GB basses ...

Edited November 18, 2010 by Golchen

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='Golchen' post='1028002' date='Nov 18 2010, 03:04 PM']Questions:

First of all, where can I get a big pic of Jessica Alba's ass? Sorry ....... that avatar is always distracting me![/quote]

Just move closer to the screen - the eye ball attached to the monitor is a good look.

[quote]Difficult to know what to ask really, I'm in touch with Bernie via email already over spec related stuff, and I heard and saw them at the weekend show (although I felt a bit too cr*p to try one at the time - mistake!)

Worth the money or just a wee bit of a mad indulgence? I just think that their spitfire in particular, when made from some lovely woods, is the most beautiful bass ever. The money seems a bit crazy when you can get a very excellent bass for £1K. Do you think that the quality of the bass, the playability and the sound are a good trade off for the cost?[/quote]

Only you know if they are worth the money - if you must have one and can afford it, then defo yes I think they are worth the money. They are as good if not better than anything I have played at a comparative pricing point. The quality of the basses are fantastic and for me, I have yet to play another bass that is as perfect to me as my GBs. (yes, I have multiple, both of the Spitfires and the Rumours). The Spitfire is great - it feels sleeker and sportier than a jazz bass (obviously from where the Spitfire has evolved from) and combined with the preamp, sounds as good as it looks and plays. In both a wood finish a paint finish, I think it's a great looking instrument. A standard paint Spitfire will come in cheaper than a bass made from exotic woods, but once you see the stash of wood that Bernie has (and if wood is your thing) it's hard to resist temptation.

The thing about Bernie's basses is that you are buying into not only the fantastic craftmanship but the electronics package. There is nothing out there (that I have found at least!), as you may have heard at the show, that can cover the range of sounds that the GBs can. They really are the chamelion of basses in terms of the basses that it can imitate... and of course there are the sounds that are unique to the GB. For me - and I know that this is subjective - they are the most tone versatile basses that I have found. Don't get me wrong, if you want a passive jazz bass or a p bass sound, (I think you have got that covered from what you have said though) you won't really get it... but active wise, you pretty much have everything licked.

[quote]I love the look of the sound-to-light system as well, but it's MEGA expensive isn't it! I'd have to go for that at a later date. I used to have a Status bass with plain on-off LEDs and I absolutely loved them, so I'd really like to get something like that. Would you get it again if you lost your bass, or is it too indulgent for the money?[/quote]

The sounds to light system can be retro fitted... and yes, I guess it is pretty expensive - but having seen the process to get them in, I can see why! The actual work and finishing on the neck aside, the precision soldering required at the circuit board is certainly a timeconsuming skill and a test of patience! Aside from that, it is still the only programmable circuit that I am aware of. I have the sound-to-light unit in one of my GBs and it is going into the one which is being built at the moment. OK, they are a bit of fun and at the right gig, they go down a storm. I guess it depends on what types of gig you are playing... if you are in a serious band or a pub band, you probably should think twice about activating the LEDs but at the correct gigs, certainly function band gigs or those festival gigs, they look great and will certainly get you noticed. Again, if you want them, you'll get them but if you are the conservative type, you may find that whilst you like the idea, if you are ashamed to put them on, they will get little use. As a note, there is a side LED only option on the sound-to-light unit which can be quite useful for those low light situations. I play quite a lot of functions and the girls love them at weddings... and of course with being a tart, I like the LEDs... so yeah, I would get it again...

[quote]I'm not really a bass player even, but at the grand old age of 47 I have been through various instruments in my life and I have gravitated to 'expensive' items along the way as more spare cash has materialised (my best electric, acoustic, bass and chapman stick are all over £2K new). There's something great about superbly made instruments! The bass that I have at the moment is extremely good already, and this makes me think that maybe I shouldn't go for a GB. I doubt that it will be any better than my Fender custom shop to be honest.

I'd love to hear anything positive (or negative) that you have to say about GB basses ...[/quote]

Compared to the custom shop Fender stuff I would say they are comparable if not a lot better. Certainly the finishes on GBs - especially the bursts - are in my opinion, superior. Having been to the spray shop numerous times, the reason that Bernie uses them is because they are the best - they spray polyester on casino wheels, 10k high end hi-fi speaker cabinets, harps, those ridiculously expensive hairbrushes that I forget the name of... their work is flawless. Bernie also has developed the greatest finish for the back of a neck - you really need to feel the neck to appreciate how great they are... not at all sticky and as smooth as a baby's bum!

The tones are a different kettle of fish as you will have heard. The thing to remember is that Bernie is a mean bass player himself and has spent a great period of his life playing professionally - and that is reflected in the comfort and playability of his instruments. Everything that has been put on his basses has been put there for a reason, whether it's for balancing the bass, comfort, accessibility and playability and the like etc...

Of course anybody reading this will thing that I am biased as a GB user... and I have tried to give a balance response but what I will say is that after owning a number of high end basses, they have all been moved on since getting my GBs. It's amazing how many GB owners are multiple GB owners. One of the guys on here who was a big Status/Alembic etc fan moved them all on I believe for a couple of GBs.

I would recommend making the trip down to Brighton to have a look at the basses in detail and spend some time with Bernie with regard to the options. OK, there are things like the G spot and Kick Drum which may not be to everybody's taste, but I do find it quite interesting how many times I reach for the buttons during practice sessions or a quick reference point for tuning.

Any other questions just shout - I'm sure you've been to the website already - [url="http://www.gbguitars.co.uk"]www.gbguitars.co.uk[/url]

Edited November 18, 2010 by EBS_freak

[Golchen]

Wow, great and informative post there, thanks a lot for the effort.

I REALLY do want a GB bass, and the spitfire would be perfect as I like the jazz bass type shape in general. My current bass can be active or passive, but I'm a total active freak and that's all I ever use.