ikay Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Ideally within striking distance of West Sussex. Fat chance I know but if you don't ask...! I've only heard good things about them but RA doesn't have an agent iin the UK and I'd like to try one if possible to help me decide whether or not to take the plunge. Suggestions for any comparable alternatives also welcome. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 [quote name='ikay' post='1277055' date='Jun 21 2011, 01:49 PM']....I've only heard good things about them but RA doesn't have an agent iin the UK and I'd like to try one if possible to help me decide whether or not to take the plunge....[/quote] Plunge away. This is what they sound like: I'm looking for a good used, 35" scale, 5 string MB. Most RA basses are in the US and Americans don't seem to like posting abroad, so it looks like I'm in for a long wait! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philw Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 (edited) [quote name='ikay' post='1277055' date='Jun 21 2011, 01:49 PM']Ideally within striking distance of West Sussex. Fat chance I know but if you don't ask...! I've only heard good things about them but RA doesn't have an agent iin the UK and I'd like to try one if possible to help me decide whether or not to take the plunge. Suggestions for any comparable alternatives also welcome. Thanks[/quote] Yes, RA's lack of representation in the UK is somewhat frustrating 'cause he makes some lovely instruments. I enquired long ago why he didn't have a UK rep and his answer was simple – he can already sell more instrument than he can comfortably make and doesn't have much interest in expanding his business. Anyway, you're welcome to come to Brighton and have a go on my demo Veillette Paris (the blue one in my avatar) some time. Not a short scale instrument like the Mouse but not so many miles away in terms of concept. Joe Veillette makes the Minotaur model too (www.veilletteguitars.com/electric_bass_nylon.shtml), which is much closer to the RA Mouse in concept. Regards Phil Edited June 23, 2011 by philw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikay Posted June 23, 2011 Author Share Posted June 23, 2011 [quote name='chris_b' post='1279441' date='Jun 23 2011, 10:30 AM']I'm looking for a good used, 35" scale, 5 string MB. Most RA basses are in the US and Americans don't seem to like posting abroad, so it looks like I'm in for a long wait![/quote] Good luck and yes I know what you mean! I'm scanning Talkbass every few hours and they also sell ridiculously quickly when they do come up. The last Mouse came up just a couple of days ago and sold within 19 minutes of being posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikay Posted June 23, 2011 Author Share Posted June 23, 2011 [quote name='philw' post='1279474' date='Jun 23 2011, 11:04 AM']Anyway, you're welcome to come to Brighton and have a go on my demo Veillette Paris (the blue one in my avatar) some time. Not a short scale instrument like the Mouse but not so many miles away in terms of concept. Joe Veillette makes the Minotaur model too (www.veilletteguitars.com/electric_bass_nylon.shtml), which is much closer to the RA Mouse in concept.[/quote] Thanks Phil, much appreciated. I'm keen on the shorter scale of the Mouse to be honest but didn't know about the Minotaur. Listening to the demo on the Veilette website though it sounds like a very different animal to the mouse (haha). Much more tightly focused sound and less of a db impersonator. Maybe the chambering in the mouse is what gives it its more airy upright sound? I will take a closer look at Veilette though, I do love the sound and flexibility of the semi-hollow piezo/mag Archtop model on the Bass Player video on youtube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philw Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 [quote name='ikay' post='1279655' date='Jun 23 2011, 02:24 PM']Thanks Phil, much appreciated. I'm keen on the shorter scale of the Mouse to be honest but didn't know about the Minotaur. Listening to the demo on the Veilette website though it sounds like a very different animal to the mouse (haha). Much more tightly focused sound and less of a db impersonator. Maybe the chambering in the mouse is what gives it its more airy upright sound? I will take a closer look at Veilette though, I do love the sound and flexibility of the semi-hollow piezo/mag Archtop model on the Bass Player video on youtube.[/quote] Yeah I'm not sure the Minotaur clips on the Veillette web site are particularly representative of the instrument. Clearly it can do the brighter, more focussed tones but certainly Joe's intention when designing it was to create something that inherently had a warm, woody vibe. Joe's also very accommodating and really enjoys matching the tonal characteristics of an instrument to a customer's requirements. So if somebody wanted a Minotaur that majored on warm and woody, that's what they'd get. Phil PS. Trying hard here not to write advertising copy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
largo Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Have you thought about Jon Shuker's Artist range? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philw Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 [quote name='ikay' post='1279655' date='Jun 23 2011, 02:24 PM']Thanks Phil, much appreciated. I'm keen on the shorter scale of the Mouse to be honest but didn't know about the Minotaur. Listening to the demo on the Veilette website though it sounds like a very different animal to the mouse (haha). Much more tightly focused sound and less of a db impersonator. Maybe the chambering in the mouse is what gives it its more airy upright sound? I will take a closer look at Veilette though, I do love the sound and flexibility of the semi-hollow piezo/mag Archtop model on the Bass Player video on youtube.[/quote] Forgot to say earlier...If of course you fancied a short scale Archtop/Minotaur hybrid, such a beast could be created. P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikay Posted June 24, 2011 Author Share Posted June 24, 2011 [quote name='largo' post='1280943' date='Jun 24 2011, 01:22 PM']Have you thought about Jon Shuker's Artist range?[/quote] Hi largo, yes I'm very tempted by the Artist. Another one of those rare beasts - it's almost impossible to find one to try out but it appears to have all the characteristics that I'm looking for. I may give Jon a call and find out what sort of wait time I'd be looking at for one of these. Cheers for the suggestion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikay Posted June 24, 2011 Author Share Posted June 24, 2011 [quote name='philw' post='1281088' date='Jun 24 2011, 03:01 PM']Forgot to say earlier...If of course you fancied a short scale Archtop/Minotaur hybrid, such a beast could be created. P[/quote] Phil, thanks for following up. I'll pm you to find out more about likely costs and build times for a Veilette. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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