The Last Bass Outpost

This one looks like it's from Japan - they stopped producing them a few years later though they still sent a few to Japan, I remember seeing a beautiful Jetglo in Kyoto around 2003 or so. Not that there is anything particularly special about this one, in 1999 I think they were still in regular production.

I can't remember when I first became aware of Atlansia - maybe saw them in Japanese bass magazines in the late '80s? Maybe 1990 when I spent a semester in Japan during college - Muzz Skillings of Living Colour was on the cover of the magazine, might still have it somewhere. I frequented music stores in Japan from 2002-2006, and never saw one in person, though their internet presence became pretty strong during that time - I was very tempted to order either the two-string (the Dualist) or three-string (the Trister) but never went that far - the current price for the single-string one is about USD1000 and I think that's about how much it cost back then too. For one of his more "normal" designs I also liked the Victoria.

Compression in and of itself isn't evil, and the compression and loudness wars in the music industry aren't necessarily related to compression for bass. I personally have a compressor on at all times - a CAE/CAJ tube compressor. I still tend to play pretty hard with a really heavy pick a lot of the time, and I like to be able to go from medium to hard playing strength without necessarily an increase in volume. I can still play softer and be dynamic, but up near my top volume I don't mind less dynamics. Unfortunately, a lot of this stuff is in my head, since although I've had two bands in the past three years, they both broke up before we could really start playing out.

One kind of compressor I do hate is one that doesn't have an indicator to show you when it's working. I want to be able to look and see how much I'm hitting it, especially if I'm using different instruments.

Back on topic, I never realized the benefits of the Bullet! That one looks like fun! I liked the MIJ Mustang I had, kind of regret selling it when I moved back from Japan...

That wasn't there last time I looked.

As Harry noted above, there was a conflict between what the Guild rep told him and what the rep told a FB friend.

This settles it, and IMHO it's unfortunate. Not just because I don't care for the Darkstar, but because it's not going to sound like the original. What I really find odd is the cult following based on what Jack Casady and Phil Lesh stopped using decades ago.

I'm actually not convinced that we know anything - which is what bugs me!

The Darkstar - love it or hate it - was a loving recreation of the modified Hagstrom BiSonics that were used in Guilds in the late '60s. What did Guild really model the current reissue BiSonics on? Original BiSonics? Darkstars? Do they know the difference? If they did, I think they would be more open about the design, but what do I know. I guess I can imagine what Gibson would do with such a history. But if they don't but they are throwing the Darkstar name around? Or they are knowingly using it, hoping to cash in on the reputation of those pickups without replicating the nuances? But what if a player can't fathom the difference and make good music on it anyway? What I guess I'm trying to say is, I'm not convinced that they actually came up with a kick-ass recreation of the BiSonic (or the Darkstar), and that would be fine, if they weren't cashing in on the legacy...

Not sure why this issue gets me so worked up - maybe part of me thinks, "someone shouldn't be allowed to get a great sound out of a $100 pickup" but what should I care? If someone does, then that's great! If not and they only bought it based on the hype, then that's their own fault. But I don't think people should get sucked into the hype either, and maybe I just want to point out that it's a bunch of hype without any solid foundation.

Another part of the equation is that Phil Lesh is back to Alembic - he has been using a couple of custom built Alembic 6-strings for about the past year now. I really think that the Alembic system is the natural progression (early on) of what Phil Lesh was using - first modified BiSonics, which they felt gave a very even tone - then Ron Wickersham designed pickups. Another key is that the BiSonics were being put through filters (usually low-pass) - I personally think that broad frequency pickups don't necessarily sound good on their own - the whole point is that they will reproduce the sound of the instrument, which can then be filtered and EQ'd, a very different approach than using a pickup with a very characteristic frequency response like a split-coil P pickup. So in other words, the "Darkstar/BiSonic magic" of the Dead and early Alembic wasn't only about the pickup - it was also about what you then did with the signal.

I think this is all what I was trying to say before too! 

How did you like it Harry? As a fan since 1978, I thought they did a spectacular job of pleasing us. I had 3 wishes - amp stacks (real or fake), double necks, and Jacob's Ladder. And they delivered! They've even pulled out "Losing It", complete with live violin in a few cities. Class act all the way!

I enjoyed it! We had pretty good seats - the crowd was pretty good except a couple of people in front of us started taking cell phone videos of practically everything in the second set. Oh well, tried not to let it bother me.

SPOILER ALERT: I really kind of enjoyed the way they continually dismantled the stage throughout the show (during songs?!!), gradually moving back in time. We didn't get the Losing It. I enjoyed the way they played most of 2112, Jacob's Ladder kicked ass, going backwards from Hemispheres (Prelude?) to Cygnus X-1 was awesome! I only managed a couple of halfway decent shots - the beginning of the first set with multiple Jazz Basses got me wondering if he would whip out a Precision, and he did, a couple of times! Once during Roll the Bones:



Had to catch the doublenecks too!



My only complaint? Too loud. It seems like they're playing indoor sports arena type places, and the SAP Center in San Jose is where the Sharks play. I've heard people complain about other stops on this tour, the vocals being "shrieky" but for me the guitar was too loud and piercing. I wore earplugs for most of the first set to save myself for my favorite songs from the earlier years...

Only four vocalists, three lead guitarists, three bassists, two keyboarders and one drummer so far!!!

I had a Pete Frame family tree of Deep Purple that came with a greatest hits album I think from around 1985, kind of like this one: http://familyofrock.net/deep-purple-roots-and-branches-1963-1979/

But my mom threw it away! 

I think the most recent album Now What?! is great! Love the new logo - Deep ?urp!e - Don Airey sounds great, some of the songs are really really good - it really sounds to me like Deep ?urp!e at their best, I would put it on a par with Perfect Strangers. I saw that tour, at Budokan no less! Would love to see the current version.

I guess Rickenbacker basses are made, to some degree, by eye. The bridges don't always sit on the centre line because they are mounted with the instrument strung to make sure the alignment is good at the end of the neck? I'm not sure, but I have a small amount of 4000 GAS after watching Stanley Clarke playing a Jetglo one in an early Return to Forever video a few weeks back.

That RTF video definitely made me want a 4000 too! I always wondered what bass he was using on Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy - if it's the 4000 then that would be very cool.

I have a '76 4001 and the tailpiece/bridge wasn't in the right place - the bridge would tilt, resulting in the strings lying almost on the fretboard. It was off by almost a 1/4" of an inch! The luthier said that Ric was cranking out basses in the '70s and that there are quite a few like that...