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Update to this, the thumb rests (one to my measurement and one to what Tim felt it should be) arrived just now, no customs charges or any extra which I was very pleased about. Now just got to wait until I'm home from work to see which one fits!

I've not heard of anyone doing this before! One of the reasons I like the Labellas is for how smooth they feel. I've had a few sets of Thomastiks too, which have a wider gap and feel less smooth, but I don't like the sound of them as much. The LaBellas are just DEEP. I'm going to fit the rounds to the mellowest of my P basses, it really is a very mellow sounding bass, so I'm hoping they will still work for me. We'll see very soon! Rob

Does it have to be a Fender? Their 5 strings are generally nothing great and don't offer the full 19mm bridge string spacing you're after. I happen to own a variation that offers that spacing however,the Player Plus Jazz V. I would think about Laklands as suggested by @chris_b but you're after a Jazz so that would mean a Darryl Jones 5 or a 55-60. Fenders are hit and miss so try before buying is the best option if you're able to. This is all in my experience.

I feel seen… 😳 Having said that I finally managed to get my hands on the MXR a couple of weeks ago and am totally blown away by it. It’s going to get a thorough rinsing on gigs. So easy to dial in and those presets sounds amazing right out the box. Have been chasing those sounds for years. Really couldn’t be happier with it.

Don't forget, in a double blind test you could be getting the placebo cake.

I find La Bella's sticky in the heat too. It's one of the reasons I mostly use EB Group flats and let them get really old - and using the handcream trick to age them fast. They are nowhere near as grabby. I did experiment with some La Bellas in a different way. I think the super smoothness is the problem. There's nowhere for the sweat to go. Other flats with a bit of a gap between the windings don't really suffer from the problem. So I used some Wet and Dry paper to slightly rough up the string along the entire speaking length and it actually worked and made them noticeably less grabby when the hands are sweaty. No tone change that I can detect. Just go slow to start - you can always sand a bit more but you can't put any metal back. I think I used 1500 grit. Don't do it on the bass of course - the tiny, mostly invisible shavings will stick to your pickups forever.

At one point I was in a couple of bands, very different, both of which I enjoyed, but one was quite busy and it was very difficult to find slots for gigs with the other band, so I told the other band I felt I couldn't commit properly to it and I didn't want to let them down, so I was leaving. All very amicable.

I have a 6 year old set of D'Addario NYXL's on my Sadowsky Jazz. They have just enough top end to help the definition and the rest is a nice warm thump.

Unless you are stuck on a Fender, I'd suggest checking out a good used Lakland Skyline. The 55-02's are a lot of bass for the money and have legendary B strings.

2 basses with flats, 2 with rounds and an EUB which only can have flats. How do I choose? What ever the fancy takes me 🤣

I have 2 of the very P5s that @synthaside mentions, both mine are/were Sherwood Green too! I am in the middle of modding one for the 2nd time (with a different colour), so the measurements are fairly fresh in my head. It has one of the widest necks and nuts out there, so not sure if all Fender 5s are guaranteed 19mm? Although not a Fender/Squier product, the Sire 5 string V7 I have is 18mm and won't appear to fit wider spacing on the neck. I think string choice could also factor your experience - I have found different strings give different results, I have always assumed due to tension? In summary though, I have played some more high end basses and the B string does feel tighter and less flubby and loose on them than my Squiers - but I mainly want mine to rumble the floorboards when I hit the lowest notes, so it doesn't bother me too much. I just love the cricket bat necks! Not enough to buy another one at that price in the link though!

I've had excellent cables from custom-lynx on Ebay. kenable_ltd on Ebay also do a wide range of cables at assorted quality levels - I've always gone for the higher quality ones and not been disappointed, and it's where I get my phono and 3.5mm jack leads. I also make my own (Van Damme cable and Neutrik/Rean connectors).

I moved in 2015 from Genz Benz to TC Electronic with an RH750 in a 2x10 enclosure and a pair of the oblong tubular 12" cabs. I have to say, it's never put a foot wrong and it's been toured all over Europe. It has an exceptionally clean sound and it continues to be my favorite amp ten years later. Nowadays I mainly use one of the MarkBass tilting 2x10 combos, due to the much lighter weight, but I have to admit the sound isn't a patch on the TC.

Little wing - Hendrix

I'd prefer a loop or ideally a recording at a clean instrument level covering a few styles. Probably should be a p or j. Music isn't a good test, as FRFR cabs will probably sound best for that, but not a good indicator of what flatters an instrument. Also, much difference in taste.

'Wedding' is Latin for 'stick a zero on the end'. All contractors and services for weddings charge high amounts, and it's because it makes people insane and you charge extra to deal with the hassle. For example, our wedding last weekend we were booked to turn up at 6, play the first dance at 8 and then do an hour, catering provided between 9-10, then second set till 11 and nice easy load out for venue close at midnight. What actually happened is we turned up at 6 and the speeches were still going, then after rushing to get set up for 7.30 the couple decided they were taking 'golden hour' photos; first dance got pushed back twice, ended up happening at 9 and they had sent the wrong tune through so we had to busk the one they wanted, then instead of two 60 minutes plus a dinner break things were running so late that we had to play through to be done at 11.30 and rush the gear out. Afterwards they sent a message to the agent that they had a good time but complained that we played for too long instead of breaking the sets up. What can you do. 🤷‍♂️

To be honest I don't think bass amps have moved on THAT much since the RH450/750. Same with the later Genz Benz amps. Just new models by various companies with some refinements. We have probably peaked with a good class D powerful amp combined with a great cab. That or modelling with a high end powered cab.

I had one of the 'Midnight Wine' MIM fives in the late 2000s. It was a great bass. B string sounded great. Never had any worries over it, anyway. Might I ask, what kind of music are you playing?

Same, he's a really nice guy. He'd be just as enthusiastic about your setup no matter what you had in your chain.

It is interesting how these trends go. When the amps first came out, they were the best thing since sliced bread. For the past few years, they really fell out of style. I hadn't seen a pro playing one in ages. TC Electronic itself has been moving to the lower end of the market for many years now. Nonetheless, if I had a young relative who was considering to learn bass, I would definitely recommend buying one of their cheaper combos based on my experience with the RH450.

3-400 I reckon

I have a US one (which I am selling, but it is a bit niche). I have no problems at all with the B. I am fully aware that I WOULD say that given the circumstances, but hope that I have been around long enough for my word to at least mean something. It is strung with Newtone round core nickels, and the B speaks with the same sound and tension as the rest.

I had a refret on my 70s m/n P bass at the beginning of the year. It's hard to say exactly what I paid, as I had a few other things done as well to another bass at the same time, but I think that you are looking at the best part of £300 or so to get it done properly (it would be a bit cheaper for a rosewood board).