23rd Lunch of September

[Dave_P]

Lunch: Hooters! Got a coupon in the mail buy 10 wings get 10 free, so I had an extremely unhealthy 20 hot wings for lunch, washed them down with a nice cold beer.

"The seasons change and so do I": Happy Autumn, the equinox was yesterday in case you missed it. We've been having some fantastic Fall weather here in RI. I've noticed that a few things change for me based on the season, while I enjoy playing music year round I seem to focus the majority of my energy on music in the fall/winter, when spring/summer come along I tend to put most of my time into outdoor activities (hiking, climbing, biking, camping, etc.)

Anyone else have a seasonal hobby shift?

G&L: Ken's LR from 9/13, specifically "cloudy", had me thinking about an SC body type bass. Seems like a good idea to me but then again I don't play bass, what do the bassists out there have to say about it?

Have a great one!
-Dave

[bassman]

Hooters sounds like fun. I hope the wait staff scenery was up to your expectations. LOL

Sc bass? - I think you may be wondering about he SB line of G&L basses. I highly recommend one of those instruments.
They are not short-scale basses, though and the 9/13 report did feature Ken's son's Musicmaster bass which is short scale.
So I don't know if you are really asking about a short-scale bass rec. or a SB bass endorsement, but here you have my opinion.

Musicmaster basses are nice instruments but you currently have to pay a high price for them, since they are considered collectible instruments. I think the going rate is $600- 700 for an original finish/unaltered bass here on the mid-Atlantic east coast of the USA. Prices will vary based on condition and location.
For that kind of money I think the SB2 is a better deal for it's better performance as a bass. Tribute basses are priced lower than US made G&Ls so purchase according to your budget and availability in your area.

[darwinohm]

Dave, glad to see you have had decent weather in RI. It has been nice here recently but very dry. Lunch today was leftover Chili from the weekend. I still have a couple of days left to go on it. Haven't been to Hooters in years. I'm not sure if we even have one here anymore. It was in the MOA. They just don't seem to hire servers my age anymore!

II get into guitar maintenance in the winter. I also have some finishing projects which I may use Tru oil on this winter. It is a good time to do that. I will do a gun stock for a friend. It is a good time for restringing , lube bridge points and DF pivots. Also seasonal truss rod adjustments are a must.

An SC bass would probably be nice in a bass especially if it had a forearm cut like the new SC's. I have been trying to warm up to my Asat bass. It is a very nice bass but a forearm contour would be more comfortable. It is hollow so no contour is available. I have discovered that my fingers start to numb a bit from the sharp edge of the body. The smaller body is very nice. I will gig it in a couple of weeks. I will probably adjust to it. I did use my Stingray 5 this weekend and switched to the Carvin after my back started to get sore. Two pounds difference in weight makes a huge difference for me. Three day gig this weekend is a stretch for us senior guys. We probably need to hire some roadies from Hooters.-- Darwin

[KenC]

Dave,

I would love the look of an SC bass, but putting a 34" scale neck on that body would make it extremely neck-heavy. It's rarely an issue with guitars, but can be a big deal on basses. The upper horns are there for a reason. The one complaint I see frequently about ASAT basses is the tendency toward neck dives. Somebody on TalkBass used to sell replacement neck plates for the early ones, that had an extension with a strap button. Those apparently helped a lot. I suspect it would be an even more significant issue with a small SC body. An SC body with a 30" scale neck would be a different story. I would get in line to have the first one, even with the microwave tag!

The first-style SBs back in '82-'83, and the Lynx bass that followed through the Leo-era were ideal matches for the SC series guitars. They had scaled-down maple bodies and simple layouts that went well with their guitar counterparts. My '83 SB-1 is probably my lightest bass, with the maple-bodied Lynx not far behind:



Ken

[blargfromouterspace]

Lunch sounds good, Dave!

Music is my only real hobby so the amount I play doesn't really change with seasons. I do find that I prefer playing late at night, when I tend to get a burst of creative energy.

A short scale SC bass would be cool!

[yowhatsshakin]

The first-style SBs back in '82-'83, and the Lynx bass that followed through the Leo-era were ideal matches for the SC series guitars. They had scaled-down maple bodies and simple layouts that went well with their guitar counterparts.

+1 on the ergonomics and balance of the SC-basses. And geez Ken, what a beauty of an SB-1!

- Jos

[Dave_P]

Bassman, I was thinking of the SC(guitar) body shape for a bass (shortened top horn) regular scale length, but was not aware of the balance issues. A short scale SC bass sounds like it would work though.

The wait staff exceeded my expectations and I was so full from lunch I skipped dinner, win win