Graybass Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 It's been about 6 months since I posted and it's been hectic both personally and musically. It started in early February when my Mum died in her early 80's. That meant that my wife and I had a few weeks of sorting. My mother lived in a rental unit in a retirement village and had no assets but an absolute mountain of stuff which we are still working through. My wife (bless her) said I wasn't allowed to use my mothers small legacy to pay bills but I was to spend it on something for myself so I started a major GAS mission. Here I must offer a confession: I thought about buying an upright but I decided that it would get used twice a year and take up a huge amount of room in our small house. I decided that, because I'm now playing 80% g*****, it was time to buy a good one. I now have a PRS Custom 22 with some real nice options and a nice Marshall 2 x 12 Combo to compliment my bass rig. The guitar came with the help of a nice guy called Jeff at http://www.retroguitar.com/ in the US. Deep down I'm still a bass player and I am getting GAS again. I'm about to sell my Warwick because I'm finding that my technique is no longer up to the rigors of the 6 string and my body can't take the weight of it any more. I'm considering going for a light weight 5 with a J/MM pickup combo with active electronics. My options are a Lakland Skyline 55-02, building a Carvin kit or even getting a kit of parts from Warmoth, Bartolini pickups and an Aguilar pre-amp. Anybody got any other ideas? Hmmmmm........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 good to have you back. sorry to hear about your mother, though. perhaps you could seek out a local luthier, scarce though they may be in new zealand, to build you a custom with the woods you select. you must realize that most ash and wenge will be out of the question for a lightweight instrument, though. you may also explore a parker fly bass. they're expensive, but very lightweight, and are said to be quite toneful. i'm interested in them as a curiousity for which i don't have the money. this may be taken as a shill for my employer, especially given that the instrument in question is not considered to be at the level of a warwick or a custom, but it is very lightweight nevertheless. perhaps you may consider a peavey fury. it's active pickups and preamp, inexpensive bass made in china. it comes in 4, 5, and 6 strings and has a basswood body with a very, very thin quilted maple cap. quite nice basses considering the price. BP reviewed it in december, 2003 along with 22 other bargain basses. it earned quite high marks . those are the ideas that come to my head. robb. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 Nice to have you back. Sorry to hear about your mother. Another option is to buy parts and instead of assembling it yourself, having a local builder do the assembly. Some of the mail order bodies can be chunky, and even having a local guy do some carving/shaping can make it a more comfortable and more personalized instrument. getz76 ordered parts for a bass through USA Custom Guitars and was very happy with what they sent him. LizzyD has built a Carvin kit bass and guitar. I asked her about 'em, and she has been really pleased w/ the results. You could also just order a Carvin -- I really dig mine. Peace. --SW spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnb Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 Welcome back, Graybass. I am sorry for your loss. I've heard a few of the Laklin 55-02 basses - they sound great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraub Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 Welcome back, Gray. My condolences for your loss. As to your question, I would consider the kit. The Skylines I have seen/played seemed to vary quite a bit in fit and finish, whereas a kit should go together as well as you put it together, theoretically. Of course, your own skills would play a part, but based on your experience with modifying instruments, you will probably be OK. A kit would allow for a pretty sweet parts assortment , I would think, as the price would likely be lower than a finished bass. This assumes that availability/shipping to you would be roughly the same in cost. Play a few Skylines, if possible, as well as some other suspects, and see if that helps you. You might find the perfect fit where you never expected, or you might find nothing that's "just right" and that would inform you in deciding on the kit. Good luck. You have some fun ahead. Congrats as well on a nice guitar purchase. I know it's not a bass, but I guess a PRS is ok. Again, welcome back. Peace, wraub I'm a lot more like I am now than I was when I got here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 Come to think of it, Graybass, you probably haven't posted since back in the days of the Rugby World Cup (one of the finest off-topic threads in the history of this board, but that's just one bassist's more than humble opinion... ). It will be nice to have you back a bit more frequently! Also, there's someone on the board who's been looking into getting a 6-string Warwick. I believe it was a relatively new member, sjaddis -- but I might be wrong. Try a search and see what comes up. It wasn't too long ago that he (she?) posted a thread about his (her?) search. Peace. --sweet'n'low spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcr Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 Good to see you back again, Gray! I too am sorry for your loss. I wish I could play guitar, too. So good on you! I seem to recall that you used to have an avenue for getting Carvins into EnZed with less trouble & expense; is that right, & is it still available? If it were me, I'd be very interested in the idea of a Warmoth kit, with every piece precisely what I wanted. And I like the idea of its being uniquely yours! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Afro_Man Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 So sorry for you loss. I think you should get a prs bass, they're custom made (and damn nice). Nic "i must've wrote 30 songs the first weekend i met my true love ... then she died and i got stuck with this b****" - Father of the Pride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoney McRing Ring Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 Hey man Im sorry for your loss. As to the bass, just for a laugh you should look at the Enfield shark bass, they look pretty cool,and i saw Pinks bassist use one recently and it sounded cool. If you dont wish to go that extreme i would do the Carvin thing, i would love to try one of them out. "I am just an instrument cos the lord is playing this funk"-T.M Stevens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveC Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 Welcome back. I had a Lakland Skyline 55-02 with the "real" Bartolini pups and preamp. I really liked it. I have also "built" basses. They have been 4 string "jazz" knock-offs, but all very nice. They sold easily and people were quite pleased with them. My latest jazz is on my web site. It turned out very well. There's something special about playnig a bass YOU put together. One other thing. I have a Carvin fretless 6. I lov ethe bass, but am a bit dissapointed with the electronics. I am currently running it passive and using an out-board preamp. I am debating putting in a custom Bartolini system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graybass Posted August 11, 2004 Author Share Posted August 11, 2004 Thanks guys, the Carvin thing is quite appealing. I used to own an LB75 that was a great bass. Mine was a mid 80's one from when they were still using Sperzel tuners. I'm keen to hear from anyone who has experience of that era Carvin basses and the newer ones and can tell me if their quality control is as good now as it was then. Also some opinions of the HB2 humbucker would be welcomed. One thing that scares me about Warmoth is that you have to slot the nut yourself - it might sound like a small point but a fairly critical one I believe. Everything else is a piece of cake in comparison. Am I just being paranoid? Hmmmmm........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted August 11, 2004 Share Posted August 11, 2004 My Carvin is mid-90s and I've been very happy with it. As for your Warmoth question -- you can try to buy a pre-slotted nut from a different vendor or else do all the assembly yourself except for the nut, and take it to a tech for the nut installation and filing. Peace. --SW spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Capasso Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 Graybass, Welcome back!! Sorry about your loss. If you buy a kit, check the body weight before assembling it - it seems like alder and ash are getting heavier (so said Roger Sadowsky when we visited a few years back). I've seen a few Carvins build since 2000 and thought they were fine from a quality standpoint. You may also want to consider other manufacturers who are doing some fine work. To back up Robb, the Peaveys are light, well made, and feel good in my hands... Tom www.stoneflyrocks.com Acoustic Color Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebrownbass Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 Yep, I been wonderin' where ya were. (Now, where is AlembicKoa?) If I were you I'd be selling that 'wick and buying another...specifically, a used '91 or older 4 string Streamer. Much lighter than the Thumb and still has that punch. And it has the advantage of feeling very like what you've been playing. It's no Warmouth, but..... "Let's raise the level of this conversation" -- Jeremy Cohen, in the Picasso Thread. Still spendin' that political capital far faster than I can earn it...stretched way out on a limb here and looking for a better interest rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A. Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 Sorry to hear about your Mom. When my grandma died a few months ago, the life insurance money was divided up amongst us grandkids. I was only able to afford a standard Tele, but it's a sweet guitar to play and record with. Welcome back. Insert inaccurate quote here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graybass Posted August 19, 2004 Author Share Posted August 19, 2004 Thanks for the condolences guys, I've more or less decided to stick with the Skyline for a couple of reasons, the main one being that I would be without a bass or the shortest amount of time. I can't afford to be bassless for too long because of my teaching schedule. Unfortunately Carvins build time and shipping time will leave me without for about 6 weeks. DBB - the idea of a used Warwick is a real good one. Trouble is any Warwick is as rare as Rocking Horse Crap in NZ so finding one is a major issue. I'll keep you posted. Hmmmmm........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.