curefans.com

Quote from: crowbi_wan on June 03, 2009, 03:28:01 AM

Quote from: sullen on June 03, 2009, 12:05:21 AM

just freaks me out buying gear, especially guitars, from just pictures.

Yep.  I bought an Black Epi Alley Kat a few years back.  Was told it was in perfect condition.  Pictures looked good.  After receiving it I noticed a chip in the body that had been filled in and painted.    Not a huge deal since I only paid $300 for it and it sounds great (the NY mini is a sweet p/u).  Had that been on something like a Les Paul or Bass VI I would have gone ape shit.  And really, even if it looks alright, you still never know until you play the thing.  

    

That sucks, nice guitar though.
Things like that is exactly why I'm trying to avoid!!

Yeah, valid points. I've only gotten one mail order guitar before, and it turned out to be a good one. So perhaps I'm a bit too optimistic.

Even brand new guitars can vary quite a bit in quality. I remember visiting some random guitar shop in Los Angeles many years ago, and they had an amber Peavey EVH Wolfgang. It wasn't really my favorite color, but it must have been the best-playing guitar I have ever played in my life (it virtually played itself, it was so nice). I had played other Wolfgangs before, but none were quite like this.

It's a shame I wasn't in the market to buy one at the time, because when I decided to get one a year or so later I couldn't find one nearly this good at any of the local shops. So I ended up having a guitar custom built instead. Not saying I really regret that, but that Wolfgang I found in LA was one in a million!

How much would a repaint devalue a 60s model?

Quite a bit. I made reference to this in one of my earlier posts:

http://curefans.com/index.php/topic,5977.msg60654.html#msg60654


But I guess it doesn't matter if you don't plan on re-selling it.  

And it may very well land you a good deal if you find one like this (again, see my previous post). One had just better make sure it's a good finishing job. Some people know what they're doing with this sort of thing, and some people don't!

At any rate, I don't like the sunburst color on these guitars. It's a shame that 99% of them seem to have been made this way.  

I used to have a sunburst Jazzmaster, and I just never thought it looked very good...

I'm not sure whether this is still on topic, butsince this is also about sound I thought I'd post something I've found in an old Magazine I stumbled over recently (Guitar Player April 2000). It's an interview in which Robert states the following:

I also used a '60s Fender 6-string bass a lot. I bought one of the new ones when they started remaking them, but they're really midlle-y sounding. They weigh about half as much, so obviously they're not going to sund the same. [...]the original '60s models are really solid, heavy guitars. If I ever break mine, I don't know what I'm going to do. Give up, I suppose!* [...]

How do you get your signature 6-string bass sound?
It has always gone through the same three Boss pedals - a digital delay and a chorus, with a touch of noise gate to cut off the delay. And I always play through the same early-'80s Peavey Ultra head and 4x12 cabinet.** The 6-string bass sound is the one thing that has stayed the same since the Faith album in 1981. I've never changed the setup, because I always thought it sounded really good. It's like a cello for me - a really perfect sound.

On the Peavy, the middle is rolled off completely, the bass is half up, the treble is full up, and the presence is set at about half. This really reflects my character, but things are invariably set to 0, 5, or 10 on my amps. I never go for anything inbetween, because that's fussing about, and it never gets you anywhere.

*...or simply change the brand.
** As crowbi_wan suggested, that seems to be gone as well.

this guy is a major douche but this bass sounds so good:

1963 Fender Bass VI

Quote from: sullen on May 07, 2010, 09:55:30 PM

this guy is a major douche but this bass sounds so good

...and dare I say You're absoutely and undeniably right about both of your observations.

But yeah, that's a sweet axe. Love the color especially (seafoam green). They say it was one of only two made that year. I think the other 99% were sunburst, with a handful of other colors. 

It does sound good in that video, but it just goes to show how unique The Cure are (were) in giving the instrument a distinct personality. Most people, even Peter Hook to a lesser extent, play it like a traditional bass with a more or less "normal" sound.

Custom shop is making them again!!!