Conference napalm::guitar

    I have played a Precision and a Mustang (as well as my own bass
    which I think is a Univox) and felt most comfortable with the Mustang.
    Although I have fairly long arms and fingers, the Precision was
    too big for me to handle easily.
    
    I don't think I've played enough bass guitars to really pick a favorite
    but I did like the feel of the Mustang.
    
    tom_p

	Best bass I've played was a 1986 Mouradian custom bass (made here in
Mass). They're made by the guy who does all of Chris Squire's (Yes) bass work
and belonged to a friend of mine. 

	Recently I went shopping for a new axe (to compliment my P-bass) and
found, in every price range from $400 on up, excellent basses.  The Guild Pilot
bass, the G&L series (albeit an aquired taste), Alembic, Padulla, Mouradian,
Schetcher, Musicman, Jackson and...on and on.  Even Peavey's Dyna-Bass was
pretty good.  I ended up getting a BC Rich Mockingbird with enough horsepower to
open my own demolition company.   All, except for the Mouradian, had 
active electronics. 

	The biggest disappointments were the newer Fender basses. That's a
shame, since I'm a Fender fiend from way back.  Except for my first and most
recent, every bass I've ever owned was a Fender (Musicman, Tele, Jazz and a P).
My fretless P-bass (1979 model) is the best Fender I've ever played.  You can't
touch the classic late 60's-early 70's bass sound with anything else.  I never
liked Rick's (played one owned by a band for a few months), never could
understand Gibson's (played a friend's Ripper several times). 

	The second biggest disappointment was the Steinberger headless bass. It
had one sound, which you either like or don't.  It sounded like a well formed
fart, to me.  An old school guy, I need a good piece of wood to make it *feel*
like a bass. 

    What a way with words! "A well formed Fart." Geddy Lee's probably
    foaming at the mouth!   In my opinion, I'd say a Rickenbacker suits
    me.  There's a custom maker in the UK, Manson, who makes basses
    that are the bass equivalent of a Wet Dream,(pardone moi Francais)
    for the low-low sum of 803 pounds or about 1100 bucks Yank style.
    It's got Kent Armstrong pickups (if that sounds familiar) Ah, I
    could go on for hours, but I won't bore you.  

    I played a padulla fretless at EU Wurlitzers a couple of years ago
    and fell in love with it...and I really dislike playing bass...I
    mean those strings hardly bend :-)
    
    dave

I like certain features of different basses:

Neck   -  P-bass necks are, for me, the most comfortable and playable.
          Music Man and G&Ls too.  Also, these basses seem to "hang"
          just right.

Body   -  Every pre-CBS Jazz bass I ever played had a terrific body;
          very light and they would just sing.  They hang good too.

Sound  -  My favorite sounding basses are the old Gibson Thunderbirds.
          Bright and trebly but with more bottom end than a Rickenbacker
          and lots of sustain.  Whether you need a bass with a lot of
          gadgets is debatable (active eq, etc.).  The Thunderbird only
          has one sound, but its a goody!  You can get any bass sound
          you need from a Thunderbird and a good, versatile amp.
          

So my favorite bass would probably be one of those "Fenderbirds" (Tbird
with a P-bass neck) that John Entwistle used to play; if I could get
just him to sell me one.

/rick

    I used to have an old (now would be very old) Fender Jazz Bass
    that played great. However, I was never totally satisfied with the
    sounds I would get in all situations, and was constantly changing
    strings to try to improve on it. I suspect that the newer amps are
    more versatile in that respect, but I haven't played live for some
    time.
    
    I have also tried the Padulla fretless, and liked it a lot.
    
    Right now the only bass I have is a Guild B-50 acoustic bass guitar,
    which I had custom made by Guild with no frets. The sound is not
    great if you're used to electric bass, but it plays very nice, and
    it blends well with other acoustic instruments. It's also excellent
    for practicing.
    
    Ram
    

.........Anybody remember the old Hofner guitars????.....Paul Mcartney
    (..Anybody remember the Beatles??..) used to play a "violin" semi-
    acoustic bass guitar made by this company. I have an old (1960)
    Hofner "Senator" slim semi-acoustic bass guitar from the same stable.
    It has undergone several modifications in its life, from being single
    pickup, light wooden bridge, to dual pickup (self made!),heavy plated
    steel bridge. The one major problem that acoustic/electric guitars
    suffer from is feedback (howl!). I am currently developing the control
    of this effect, using the soft, fleshy part of the hand on the bridge
    to control the sustain!...from there to harmonics....who needs "Toys"??
    
    			Dave Clark...(One of many!)

	I just picked up a used Schecter P-bass (w/ passive J-bass pickup
arrangement).  This thing plays and sounds great.  The quality just oozes out of
it.

    I may be just a backwards Canuck (Canadian), but the newer Fender
    Elite Precision I bought about a year ago sounds and plays just
    dandy for me.... short fingers and all. The sorriest mistake I ever
    made was paying $100 for a vintage Gibson EB0. It might have been
    great for collectors or someone that wants to be known as "musher".
    What a turkey! 
    
    For years I was real horny for a Rick, but after trying a few, I
    changed my mind. The only Rick that I liked was a top of the line
    model that I tried in a shop Marlboro. But, I can't play slap on
    any of them. At that same shop I tried a Riverhead. Ever neat!!!
    Anybody else got a comment on Riverhead??
    
    Buzz (and that's not from fret rattle)

>< Note 33.4 by BAXTA::BOTTOM_DAVID >>
>>
>
>    I played a padulla fretless at EU Wurlitzers a couple of years ago
>    and fell in love with it...and I really dislike playing bass...I
>    mean those strings hardly bend :-)
>    
>    dave

Actually, Dave, I have no problem making the strings bend, but hand me a 
guitar and I go running for a box of band-aids!

Anyway, I recently bought a '63 Fender P-bass fretless.  The body is just the 
right weight and really sings.  Neck feels great, though I think I'd like the 
'63 J-Bass better.  No active electronics, and the tone control doesn't do 
much compared to tone controls on an amp (usually the other way around, I 
find).

My main axe is the G&L L1000.  I started with a Bullet, and outgrew it after 
three or four lessons.  I prefer the feel of the G&L to the Fender, as the 
neck is a bit flatter.  Great sustain control on this beast, good active 
electronics and tone control.

Tried a Guild and hated it.  I'm not into these new "hot" basses that come out 
fortissimo when you breath on the strings.  I like dynamics in my playing.  
You won't see me using a compressor, unless I'm doing funk, and then only 
maybe!

I'm currently looking into five-strings, but haven't found one yet that has 
any pitch definition in the fifth string.

As usual, I'm in a hurry, and have 1800+ notes before I'm caught up anyway so 
will cut this short and not worry about proofreading it.


				Mark

    Come to think of it,
    
    I have a pre CBS percision bass, Rosewood Neck, Bad Ass Bridge,
    perfect original electronics, refished natural wood, I will trade
    for a fine fretless bass, should anyone be interested.

It appears that my G&L L1000 is not active electronics after all, which 
explains everything (other than why the low notes cut through, whereas they 
didn't on the Bullet).

Apparantly, the toggle switch is a three way switch between humbucker and coil 
pickup (which means little to someone as naive about pickups as myself).

Apparantly, the third knob is not sustain but bass tone control (middle switch 
is treble tone control).  Would have similar effect, I suppose.

Boy, do I feel like an idiot, but it sure is hard to find any literature 
explaining what all this stuff is about.


				Mark

    
    Sort of an aside to Mark's comments relative to instructions:
    
    I've only bought two basses (or guitars for that matter) out of
    eight that came with instructions.  My Peavey came with an eight page 
    booklet that explained all the controls, how to set up the bridge, how 
    to set the action and how to care for the wood.  Great!!!  My B.C. Rich
    came with a two page booklet which at least mentioned what you were
    supposed to do with three knobs, a rotary switch and four toggles!!!!
    ( I once figured out that there were 144 possible switch combinations.
     Sheesh!!!!)  My other ones came with nothing; my Fender bass didn't
    even explain how to change the battery or how the active circuit
    worked! (You know, turn the knob, see what happens)
    
    Considering all the "high-tech" features on modern guitars and basses,
    you would think these companies would give you *something*.

Well, having been spurred on by some MAIL exchanges with Brian Rost (if I 
correctly remember which noter took the discussion of basses off-line with 
me), I checked out the Guild Pilot last night at Wurlitzer in Framingham.

In fact, "checked out" isn't the half of it!  I bought it!

What can I say?  I know, having played bass for only 2-1/2 years, at least  
half a year of which was spent in stagnation, that I have a long way to go 
before I'm in a league with the pros, but what I didn't know was that a good 
deal of my problems stemmed from having once again graduated to a level of 
playing requiring a new instrument.  The Guild feels great, in terms of 
balance between neck weight and body weight, the feel of the neck (it is 
unfinished and also not very thick at the head), and the playability of the 
fretboard.  I am able to move much faster and more accurately, with incredibly 
clean sound (even with treble all the way up!).

I am putting my G&L up for sale as soon as I get ahold of my former 
instructor, from whom I bought it.  He should have a copy of my receipt, so I 
can find out how much I paid for it ($850, I believe).

The G&L's a great bass, and would probably last most beginners ten years.  But 
I'm not a traditional beginner, having played one instrument or another since 
I was three years old, and having studied music for many years.  I'm a very 
fast learner of new instruments, as a result of my diverse musical background.


				Mark

I am really quite new to basses (I have my second lesson tonite), but
I have a Kramer Striker. Since I'm just begining I didn't want to spend
too much. It seemed like a good choice. I'll let you know more about
it once I have learned enough to have an opinion :-)

greg

    
    	re: .-1
    
    		Do you play all those basses at the same time? :-)
    
    	Seriously, why do you have all those instruments?.I have
    	a Fender Bullet Bass that I play the heck out of and I 
    	LOVE it.
    
    	I don't think that I could get used to that many different
    	instruments.
    
    			Dadman!

    Being a funk bass player I find it difficult to find one bass
    that gives the two sounds that are a must in funk.  The deep
    bottom, and that high end twang for slapping and popping.  So I
    figured two guitars were gonna be a must.  For slapping and popping
    I figured on using what the master (Louis Johnson) uses to slap
    on, a Fender Music-Man, and there's nothing like it for just that.
    My main guitar is a Ken Smith, very similar to the Alembic.  Not
    a very well known guitar but, what a sound, and nice to play.
    

    I play 2 ibanez basses,a studioseries 8-string(circa 1980)and a five
    string roadstar and I couldn't be happier with either!!The 8-string
    has active p/ups,pre-amp,and a wild varitonetype circuit.The five
    string has active pickups and a balance control to blend them.
    I also put together a fretless P style bass with an active bass
    and treble circuit that works very well;I may add another pickup
    though!!

	This topic isn't dead yet, glad to hear someone out here
	talking about bass. It's RIC 4001 for me thanks, with an
	EQ pedal on the floor so that I can cut the high end
	where the part doen't call for that (beautiful) TwAnG.

    Ditto:  I love my Ric 4001. Also use a EQ rack mount to kill off
    the high end.  I only use a pick on my 8 string.
    

    I DON'T BELIEVE IT....ANOTHER NUT WITH THAT WILD 8-STRING SOUND...
    HOW'S ABOUT A LITTLE MORE INFO?????
    

    I have a Kramer 8 string.  The only id I can find on it is "A1849".
    It has a stainless steel neck and fittings.  I have re-wired it
    for stereo Neck and bridge pickup.  I am now thinking about having
    it wired stereo side to side, so that the pickups over the high
    strings go into a seperate amp channel.  I would put some effects
    on this channel.
    
    I run my Rick, Warlock Fretless and the Kramer into a 50 Watt Fender
    Bassman with 2 Marshall 15 Bottoms.  I also have a Morley Pedal
    which has Wah, Fuzz, & Volume.
    
    I like to play my 8 string with power trio types of songs (Cream
    etal) it tends to 'fill out' the music.  I was like it on some heavy
    metal songs where I can add some distortion to it.
        
    BTW:  My Kramer is autographed by Ozzie Ozborne.  I bought it that
    way.  I guess a couple of owners back, a kid saw Ozzie at a music
    store and had him autograph it.
    
Scott
    	    

>        I run my Rick, Warlock Fretless and the Kramer into a 50 Watt Fender
>    Bassman with 2 Marshall 15 Bottoms.  
 
    Gee, I can only play two basses at a time - three-amazing:-)

    I'm an Octopus.  You should see me on a keyboard!
    

    TO SCOTT,I TRIED EFFECTS ON MY 8-STRING ALSO;BUT I DONT'KNOW OF
    ANY WAY TO GET THE SIGNAL SEPARATIONBETWEEN THE STRINGS-I WAS 
    THINKING OF USING THEM ON ONLY THE HI-END OF MY BIAMP RIG.(I
    USE A PEAVEY-400 W/2-15" AND A PEAVEY 2-10"POWERPACK.) IT'S A
    HASSLE TO LUG AROUND BUT MAN IS IT CLEAR+L.O.U.D.!!!!!

    I kind of figured I'd have some problems like that, but I thought I'd
    try.  I sometimes get some strange problems today on my Rick when I
    kick the effects in.  I think that is a bad Y cable.
    

    Re: .23
    
    If your Kramer is shaped vaguely like a BC Rich Bich and has the
    aluminum neck (no it's not stainless steel) then the model number
    is XL8.  It was one of the last of the metal-neck Kramers.
    
    If you want to split your signal by strings rather than by pickup,
    why not use some P-bass pickups.....after all, they are really two
    pickups, each covering one pair of strings.   A regular (not split)
    pickup can't be modified to provide two signals.

    
    Can some one tell me anything about the Gibson Grabber (sp?) bass?
    

    Other than it's a somewhat stripped version of the Ripper bass,
    with a single moveable pickup and a bolt-on neck, what would you
    like to know?
    
    Danny W.

    You already have told me something about it. I do not know what
    a Ripper bass looks like. I have an Aria PRO II bass which may be
    a Ripper copy. I do not know that for sure.
    
    What are the grabbers worth?
    
    

    
    In 1973, Gibson decided to try a new line of basses as the EB series
    was not selling well (in fact, after 1974, only the EB3 remained
    in the line).
    
    The first new bass was the Ripper.  This had a body perhaps best
    described as a bloated Fender shape.  The neck and fingerboard were
    maple (a first for Gibson), the headstock was the traditional Gibson
    style and the pickup configuration was two pickups wired up with
    a varitone.
    
    The Grabber used the same body and neck, but used a single pickup
    mounted on rails so the player could move it!!!  The idea being,
    I suppose, that you could adjust the pickup location to change the
    tone.
    
    The G3 was a Grabber with three pickups wired up in a quasi-humbucker
    configuration, so that electrically it was more like a three coil
    pickup with wide coil spacing than a true three pickup bass.  The
    electronics were designed by Bill Lawrence during his brief tenure
    at Gibson.  
    
    None of these were particularly popular and the line was discontinued
    around 1980 or so and replaced by the Victory basses.
    
    I have no idea what they sold for new, but used Rippers are worth
    maybe $300 at most, and Grabbers and G3s $200 or less.  
    
    

    .33 says most of it.
    
    The Grabber doesn't have quite the same neck as the Ripper, since
    its headstock is arrow-shaped. And $200 would be top dollar for
    one.
    
    BTW, Bill Lawrence (Billy Lorento across the pond) is back with
    Gibson. Expect bad things to happen.
    
    Danny W.
    
    PS: Brian, did you call that guy about the Dano doubleneck?

    
    
    Anyone have any idea what *used* P-Basses are going for these days?
    
    Tom
    

    
    They start at about $300 or so and go up into the thousands for
    vintage ones.   
    
    For a decent one I would pay $3-500 used.
    
    For over $500 it would have to be pretty special. 

    

          THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT !! FENDERS ALL THE WAY.


                    PS. ARE THERE ANY IRISH!! GUITAR PLAYER IN THIS
                        CONFERENCE?IF SO PLEASE CONTACT ME ON eMAIL.
                                         PLEASE
                                         PLEASE
                                         PLEASE
                                                          SAMBO.

	 I play a Rick 3001 and am very happy with it!!!

	 Heard about a place in Denver.....called First Bass (799
	 South Pearl...303.698.BASS)  A must see for any bass player!


	 John (from Kathy's account!)

	 

    
    I've been using a Fender Precison Elite for a few years now and always
    wondered why Fender dropped the model.  The obvious answer is lack of
    sales but I felt it was the first forward move they had made in basses
    since 1962 when they made the last major changes to the P-bass.
    
    Well, Fender has brought the Elite back, sort of, in the guise of the
    new Precision Bass Plus.  It looks like a regular P-bass at first
    glance, but then you notice the body is cutaway a bit more and the neck
    has extra frets (looks like 22), and the fine-tuner bridge and die-cast
    tuning machines are identical to the hardware of the Elite.  The
    pickups are Lace Sensors, one P style, one J style.  You get two knobs,
    a toggle switch and a push button switch.
    
    I didn't play it so I don't know how it sounds, but it looks like
    Fender is starting to slowly reconsider the bass player's needs. The
    price I was quoted was $795, which is about where the Elite models were
    priced five years ago.

    
    I've played all sorts of basses, the best playing bass I ever played
    was what I own now, 2 Guild Pilots.  They are fast, easy playin'
    and clean (at least live).  For recording, I enjoyed a Rickenbacker
    4003 custom, and a Ibanez SRG9 (I borrowed the Ibanez).  
    
    I also owned 3 of the aluminum neck Kramers, and I enjoyed those
    alot (for live playing), they were real clean and excellent tone,
    just a little difficult to get used to the metal neck for movement.

    I liked playing ESP (Fender copies), and also Fender Jazz.  I tried
    a Gibson "grabber" and didn't like the bass (sliding pickup
    and all).  I cannot stand any BC Rich, Charvel, or new Kramer Basses.
    
    Ron.

    Ibanez musician series MC924 and MC940 frettless are great but hard
    to find and the new SDGR line up are great too

    
    I've always liked Ibanez Basses.  I used to have two factory custom
    Ibanez's that I got over in Germany.  Some dealers in Europe have
    the privledge of ordering factory custom basses and luckily I ran
    into him and bought two of them, one I still have and the other
    is at Daddy's in Shrewsbury.  The one I kept is the same shape as
    the new SDGR series (almost like a spector) with active electronics,
    seperate tone, volume, and balance controls, rosewood fingerboard
    and a very nice purple faded to black paint job.  This bass is almost
    exactly like the new ones wearing the SDGR logo, except that the
    headstock is different.  Very nice playing bass.  I've had this
    one for three years.  The only thing I pan on doing to it is adding
    a Kahler Bass tremelo and possibly some Bartolini pick-ups.
    
    Mr. Ed
    

    ....been meaning to reply here for a while....
    
    In the 20+ years I've been playing bass, I've owned four and thoroughly
    enjoyed each of them:
    
    An imitation Hofner Beatle bass ($50 from Radio Shack (!!!) ;-)
    which had really hot single coil pickups and a marvelously slim
    neck.
    
    A brand new '76 Precision with a maple neck and sunburst body. ($330
    from Wurlitzer's of Boston)
    
    A factory-blemished Peavey T-40, purchased direct for $200. I liked
    this axe because the neck felt much like the Precision, it seemed
    to sustain better and the electronics were much quieter.  I did
    NOT like the increased weight, tho .... funny what you can get used
    to if the sound is good....
    
    My current bass is a 1987 Peavey Dyna-Bass.  It has a neck more
    like a Fender Jazz, a nicely sculpted (and MUCH lighter) body, and
    a very capable active tone circuit.  Really, I have so much tonal
    range on the guitar that I seldom have to touch my amp's equalizer
    at all!  That bass is a real joy to play!
    
    						--Eric--

    Another vote for Fender. I've got a Precision 1970 (I think ?- is there
    a note that has the serial number dates? 
     I also have a 1970 (pretty sure about that date) Dan Armstrong
    clear job. I think there were supposed to be a few different pickup
    available for the Dan Armstrong bass, but I've only got the one
    that came with it and never saw any others.  

    
    I have a Steinberger XM-2 (full-size body, headless) and I absolutely
    love it !! I use this almost exclusively now. However, I still pull out
    my '67 Jazz bass (like and old lover you keep thinking about).
    
    /Bill
    
    

    I have an Aria bass(cat series).It didn`t cost too much but it plays
    really well,with a good slim neck.(I hate fat necks).Re last note:I
    wish i could pull out an old "lover" as easy as pulling out a bass
    guitar!
    
    Capt Cook
    

    Favorite Bass.......1962 Joe Maphis model / Mosrite.  It took some time
                        to get used to....extreme slim neck, weird balance.
                        It has a beautiful warm tone, sounds like an
                        upright.  Solid spruce carved top [hollow---no 
                        f-holes though].  I wish I had a few of these
                        this one is getting beat up.

    I was wondering if anyone could tell pro's and cons on the Peavey
    PALAEDIUM bass. I know someone who wants to purchase a bass in the
    price range of the palaedium, it was recomended to me as a good choice.
    The person whos buying the bass plays and records mostly mainstream
    type music.
    
    Thanks Mike___

    I attended a Jeff Berlin clinic last night (sponsored by PV) and
    of course he was using a Palaedium, and ripping on it too.  I've
    also checked one of these out up close and personal like, so I've
    both played and heard em.
    
    pros: very light resonant body, slim fast neck, designed for low
    action.  Plays and speaks incredibly well.  The passive humbuckers,
    based on a old Bartolini design, sound great and provide a lot of
    tones.  Badass bridge is rock solid, nice ebony board, and the neck
    is graphite reinforced so it should give little trouble.  Jeff Berlin
    designed and uses this bass, so it's a pro quality instrument.
    
    cons: only two that I can think of.  First, electronics are passive.
    This may be a con for some people; on the other hand, I personally
    think it's a plus.  I have yet to play an active system that I liked
    as much as a good passive one (Jeff B agrees, btw).  It's a matter of
    taste.  Second, the looks of the bass (again, a taste issue). 
    Cosmetically, it's a real plain Jane.  Not fugly, just boring.  A
    kinder description might be "understated".  Your mileage may vary.
    
    As part of "National Guitar Month" (or some such silliness), Union Music
    in Worcester is having a special on these during April, around $560 I think.
    I'll bet other PV dealers are matching that deal.  At that price you almost
    can't afford NOT to buy this bass.  A steal.
    
    /rick

    
    If anyone else is interested in seeing Jeff Berlin, I just saw a 
    notice that he'll be at Centre Music in Framingham, MA tomorrow
    (April 22) night.  Phone number there is 508-875-0909.
    
    

    I have a question for all you Bass people out there.
    
         Here's the deal. A buddy of mine needed a new bass, so he saw the
    add in the Union Music flyer about the peavey Paladium bass on sale for 
    $560. When he went into the store he had forgot the name of the bass
    and ask for the bass that was advertised. Well without him knowing the
    sold him a Peavey Dynabass for the same price saying this is the one in
    the flyer. The question is did he get ripped off?? When he confronted
    them with the flyer they said they would order him the Paladium, but
    the tricky part is he likes the sound of the Dynabass. What would you
    do??
    
    Thanks

    Re: .52
    
    If the DynaBass sells for more than $560, then keep it.  If it sells
    for less, but he likes the bass, get the difference refunded.
    
    The two models are pretty similar.  The Dyna is active but *appears* to
    use the same pickups and has a Peavey bridge instead of the Palaedium's
    Badass, the fingerboard is rosewood instead of ebony.   I suspect the
    current DynaBass has a thicker neck since the old one was pretty
    Fenderish feeling and the Palaedium neck is noticeably thinner.
    Cosmetically, only the extra knob and the neck pickup mounted in the
    traditional P-bass location distinguish the Dyna from the Palaedium.
    
    							Brian

    Brian pretty much nailed the differences between these two.  The bodies
    look identical, neck on the Dyna bass is a little bigger but still very
    much like a J-bass neck (the Palaedium neck is wicked small).  Is it
    the red one?  I played the red Dyna bass at Union, I thought it was a
    real nice axe.  The only question is, was that a fair price?  I don't
    know, he could call some other local dealers and see what they quote.
    
    /rick

	I bought a fugly (to some) green DynaBass at Daddy's a while ago
	for about $450, but I think they wanted to get rid of it :^}  It
	was ticketed at $850.  It's a nice-sounding bass, and very 
	comfortable to play.

    Ya, its the red one at Union. Thanks for the details, he went and
    tried the Paladium last night and he agrees to all the things you
    pointed out, and he does like the DynaBass better mostly because of the 
    neck and the pickups. They also told him that it was a good price
    however they do run a sale once a year on the same axe for $500. So
    it looks like he got a fair shake. 
    
    Thanks all for the quick responce,
    Mike___                          
    
        

        The green Dynabass? Fugly? That's being too kind...
        
                ;*}
            
        

	Now it wasn't *that bad*!  If you hadn't made me cover it up all
	the time, you might have gotten used to it ;^}

        This was a bass that needed three paper bags...
        
        

I've always been a firm believer in comfort before fashion.  I have sort of
short fat fingers, and I have had difficulty in playing some basses on the far
end of the neck, in the F, Bb area.  I really loved the sound of a precision
when I tried one years ago, buck the neck was not comfortable on my fingers.

When your spending a minimum of 8 hours working on it a week, and many more in
practice, comfort becomes very important to me.  I ended up with a Peavey 
Foundation, because I liked the narrow end of the neck, and so did my fingers.

I guess it's a lot like some folks with clothing, some will wear it if it looks 
good, even if they can't eat, breathe, or walk in them !!  Myself, I'd spend 
about 2 minutes in clothes like that.  I'd rater be bare a.. !!

I don't think that bass at Union was a rip off any worse than all of them being
over priced these days !!   I tried it down there too, thought it was nice and
had a nice sound.  I'd like to see a straight cut of $200 off the price of all 
basses at these music stores.   Who wouldn't right ???

Just my 2 cents,

Dave

    
    ah, just work out with an upright, and it'l stretch your fingers for
    ya;^
    
    bob

    Why Oh Why has no-one mentioned the ultimate bass guitar in the world.
    
    
    
    The Status Series II
    
    These hand crafted British instruments designed by Rob Green are still
    the best Basses ever made.  Perfect neck,  perfect sound,  perfect
    weight,  and recording.    Woooow.   Totally awesome DUDE!!1
    
    
    I've had Sebastian (named by my better half)  for just over four years
    now, and all I can say is that it is still a pleasure to play him.  I
    don't need any other bass,  although sometimes I wish I had a fretless.
    
    I would be interested to find out how much they cost now a days in the
    U.S. 
    
    Old Fenders may be well played in,  but in comparison -  well there is
    none.
    
    Also what about Wal?  No one has mentioned them.  But it was noce to
    see Hugh Manson getting a mention way back.  I was going to get him to
    bulid me a Three neck jobbie,  but when I felt the guitar version it
    kinda out me off.  It weighed about 240 llbs 8-(
    
    
    Nigel

    Re: .62
    
    The Status is hard to get here in the US, it's in the $2000 range
    (pricey).  There is an authorized Japanese copy by Washburn that is a
    lot cheaper ($7-800) but it's not too popular either.
    
    						Brian
    

    And pretty average.
    
    Nigel

    Yeah, I would *LOVE* to check out a Wal and a Status, I just never see
    any.  Hey Nigel, why don't you help your mates out and ship a couple
    over :-)
    
    I did once play the Washburn copy and thought it was a pretty decent
    bass.  It's a great slap'n pop bass, almost plays itself.  If the real
    Status is a lot better, it must be a pretty incredible.
    
    /rick

    I'll still take an old Alembic over everything else I've ever heard.

    Anybody ever play a TOKAI? It's a Fender copy...
    
    					Jim

    I haven't played a Tokai bass, but I played one of their Strat clones
    awhile back and liked it quite a bit!
    
    Greg

    I once owned a Tokai '57 P-bass copy.  It was red with maple neck and a
    nice gold anodized pickguard.  From a copy point of view, it looked and
    felt more "vintage" than the Fender re-issues.  My only complaint was
    that the hardware and electronics were cheap, which is usually the case
    with Japanese vintage copies.  You may want to upgrade these eventually.

    Does anyone know about the Aria Pro II series? I have been offered a
    second-hand Magna 5-string bass and would like some idea of where it is
    in the Aria Pro II range. 
    
    I am a beginner at bass. Would you recommend sticking to a 4-string
    bass to begin with or does it matter?
    
    John

     re .70
    
     Well, from one bass beginner to the other, I got *no* plans
     at this time to go to a 5-string *or* a fretless :-). I got
     all I can manage with 4 strings and speed bumps....your mileage
     may vary, of course. If you're a capable enough beginner to
     learn on a 5, my hats off to you.
    
     DAP
     

    Re: .70, .71
    
    I don't belive Aria markets the Magna under that name in the US.  Aria
    makes OK basses but since they dropped their SB line of the early
    eighties, they haven't been considered to be pro quality.
    
    Starting on a 5 string is fine.  The question is whether or not you
    could get a better first bass for the same money.  As a beginner, I
    would *not* pay a premium to get a 5 (or 6) string bass, but if the
    Aria is a good deal compared to other basses you've seen around, then
    why not?
    
    							Brian

    Many thanks for the quick replies. By chance I found a 4-string Aria
    which I have bought. I find the Aria range difficult to understand:
    there is Aria Pro II with different subseries, and Mad Axe, with 
    different subseries. Can anyone write out a taxonomy of Aria?
    
    Another question: I am going to London where the choice of basses will
    be much better than in this part of France.  I might invest in a better
    bass there. Any recommendations for a relative beginner?  (I should say
    that I know a bit about chords and harmony, and can strum a guitar and
    play scales and so on so I'm not an absolute beginner.) The sort of
    sound I want is the classic bass sound rather than funk. I was thinking
    of a Fender Jazz Bass, but this is based on reputation rather than any
    great knowledge of the instrument. The Ibanez range I find attractive
    and they seem to have a good reputation but again I don't really know
    which to buy. I would appreciate a suggestion for a good quality bass.
    
    Regards
    
    John
    
    
    
    
    

    I'm not familiar with any specific models, but check out the Hohner
    line.  They make very playable instruments for very reasonable prices.
    Also, Peavey makes some good low-end instruments.  But mostly, just try 
    to play as many instruments as you can before you buy.
    
    The best advice I can give a beginner buying a first instrument is to
    take an experienced player with you to test drive a few - you don't
    really know what's important until you've played for a while.  Also,
    figure you'll have the first instrument for a year or two, then you'll
    trade up to something better when you know what *you* like.  To that
    end, try to get the "most bang for the buck" in your first instrument,
    and don't pay extra for a brand name.  That's why having an experienced
    player along is important: she/he can tell you what features are good
    to have and which are marketing hype, or useless to a beginner.
    
    Of course, you've already bought the Aria.  Do you know any bass
    players who could try it and give you their opinion?  If it's a good
    axe (meaning playable), maybe you should just keep it for a while,
    unless you're unlikely to be able to get to London again.
    
    If you get something else, let us know what you got.
    
    Dave

    Re: last two
    
    I agree that you should keep the Aria for a year or two.  I would
    suspect it is good enough to start out on.  Take it to a music store
    and get a complete setup done (new strings, action and intonation
    adjustments).  That way you'll be getting the max performance out of
    it.  
    
    							Brian

    Thanks again for the very helpful replies. The Aria seems good so far.
    A friend of mine borrowed it to play in a small group in a bar one
    evening and said he found it very good.  I have put in a few hours
    since as well. So I think I will take your advice and wait a while
    before buying anything else. And I will get the Aria serviced one of
    these days.
    
    Regards
    
    John

    
     I was wondering if anyone else has tried out one of the new Precision
     Lytes? 
    
     I bought one of these last week and can't believe how little
     this guitar weighs.  After years of playing a Rick, the P-bass
     feels like it's made out of balsa wood.  
    
     With the active P and Jazz bass pickups I can get a sound very
     similar to the Rick, as well as the lows and mids of the classic P
     Bass. I also like the thinner neck more than the one on the standard P.  
    
      

    Dan Daddieco had one for awhile, perhaps he'd like to comment (maybe he
    has already?).
    
    For me, well, it was smaller and lighter but didn't do anything for me. 
    Maybe it was that "Made in Japan" decal  8^)   
    
    The local dealers seem to stock these instead of the US made (bit more
    $$) Precision Plus which I *did* like, maybe because it is sort of an
    update to my P-Elite.
    
    							Brian

    Might anyone know anything about a J.B. Player bass?  One music store
    recommended a used one they had (for around $200) over a new Fender
    Squire bass.  I didn't play it, but one of the owners thought it
    was a pretty good low-end bass for the money.
    
    For all the "pretend bass" I've fooled around with by de-tuning
    my old acoustic, I've never played a real one, and it seems like
    it would be a fun thing to have around...
    
    Thanks,
    Chris

    JB Player is just another Japanese import (no longer in business as far
    as I know).  
    
    Their stuff seemed OK to me, maybe a cut above the Korean made Squiers,
    but not awe-inspiring. For $200 and fooling around, it should be OK.
    
    							Brian

    IMHO, $200 is too much to pay for a JB Player. 
    I wouldn't offer more than $150 for one. 
    
    A Fender Squire is resellable. JB Players are not.
    
    Mark 

    Thanks for the info on JB Player... I think I'll save my money
    on this one, and check out some other models.  The JB Player that
    I'd seen had been bought new by some kid's mother, and then returned
    a couple of days later because the kid decided he didn't want to
    play bass.  :-)  Now where have I heard this before?...
    
    Chris

    
    
    If you want a very good bass for a very reasonable price, check out
    the CARVIN LB series. These basses beat out all other competition
    in "under-$1000" range in the BASS PLAYER shootout. I've got an
    LB75, jet-black w/ black chrome 5-string and absolutely love it.
    The only gotcha is that CARVIN sells direct from the factory.
    You pay short bucks but you can't try one out before buying (although
    you do have 10 days to try it out, if you don't want it, send it
    back!!)
    
    /Billy_K
    

    Carvin does have a showroom somewhere in Southern California, so you
    *can* try them out before you buy 'em if you live around there or are
    planning a trip.
    
    Greg

    
    Carvin does have three showrooms in Calf., at the following locations:
    
    	Carvin Hollywood Store
    	7414 Sunset Blvd.
    	Hollywood. CA 90046
    	(213)851-4200
    	Hrs: M-F 10:30-7:00, Sat. 10-6
    
    	Carvin Escondido Store (factory)
    	1155 Industrial Ave.
    	Escondido, CA 92029
    	(800)854-2235 (this is also Carvin's direct order number)
    	Hrs.: M-F 8:30-4:30
    
    	Carvin Santa Ana Store
    	1907 N. Main St.
    	Santa Ana, CA 92706
    	(714)558-0655                                                   
    	Hrs: M-F 10:30-7:00; Sat. 10-6
    
    
    So, if ya live in Calf. you can check out Carvin guitars and basses.
    

I hope Carvin has changed their attitude to in showroom tryouts since I was
in the Escondito facility. I was invited to bring my strat up to try out an
amp by a saleshuman. I went home got it and drove back. They wouldn't let
me plug in as the only unit he had (and he knew this was what I wanted to try
ahead of time) was a customer's and they were afraid I'd blow it up! (Faith
no more? :-) they didn;t have much faith in their product) This after a ~45 
min round trip to get the guitar. I was pissed.

I bought a different brand. I've never looked at carvin again.

dbii

    FWIW, Dave, I think that's what reputable places do.
    
    I doubt the issue was concern over blowing up the amp, I personally
    think that reputable places don't let just anyone use equipment
    that belongs to their customers.
    
    I think the beef about making you do that drive is legitimate, but
    not letting you use the customers amp - I personally wouldn't fault
    them for that.

Oh I can see both sides. But the issue was "this is a mail order amp that 
belongs to a customer, we're not ready to ship it yet so we put it in the
showroom, so people could see one, but not play on it. I can't let you play it
because you might blow it up and we'd have to repair to before sending it
out to the customer".

me: "why did you send me home for my guitar?"

him: "I dunno, wasn't thinking I guess"

me: pffft!

dbii