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I’m going to start filing grooves into all my frets to get my action lower 😂

There is a fair bit of misunderstanding about a zero fret in this thread. (& also a healthy amount of fact also) I'd encourage anybody who is interested, to research thoroughly on reputable sources. *Especially before filing slots it a zero fret to lower the action

I'm still very taken with my Lakland DJ5 Though, I think you were saying before you prefer a 34" scale?

Sad for anyone to have hearing damage, but for him to blame others seems way off to me. Cheap good quality hearing protection is easy to come by and works well. I use some that cuts the volume but retains the sound spectrum and I play in loud rock bands. I can see this opening a huge can of worms re the ambulance chasing lawyers. If he thought the rehearsals were too loud he could have said something, or walked. His choice.

From this it looks like you are right. "Carpenters’ version was punchier than the original, with a swinging harmony and shorter pauses. Richard used a click track to synchronise the vocals (masterfully arranged into four-part harmonies tripled into 12 overdubbed vocal parts) and achieve the right effect. It took 47 takes just to get the extended “wahs” the way he wanted on the closing chorus."

No need for guilt at the pleasure of brilliant arranging, brilliant singing and, if that wasn't enough, brilliant Joe Osborn on bass.

Happy to get the (pin) ball rolling for you Here's mine - Yamaha BB 1025, which I'm loving: And here's a nice little review from @CameronJ who took the trouble of letting me have his thoughts on his BB1025'X' (i.e. with pickguard) version a while back, before I bought mine. My experience has been great so far. How does it feel to play? Well neck profile, string spacing, action and the actual finish of the neck all come into play here and these are the first things that attracted me to the BB, before I even plugged in. I got to try one out almost by accident at the Yamaha Music Store in central London and comparing it to the other bass models on the wall (TRBs, Attitudes etc) this one immediately felt so good. Very easy to play. For me, the BB ticks all the boxes comfort-wise. The body is fairly big (especially in comparison to my Ibanez) but I don't find it uncomfortable at all. In some ways I actually find it more comfortable than my Ibanez because the body shape is more rounded at the edges. Now, the sound. I don't think YouTube demos can really do this bass justice. This is my first ever passive bass and I was surprised to discover that it has a hotter output than any of my active basses. There is definitely some magic in those blade pickups! Obviously tone is so subjective but this thing definitely recreates "the sound in my head". To give you an idea of what I mean, I was lusting after a precision before buying this and now my lust is pretty much satisfied. The P-pickup definitely hits the mark for me, but with seemingly more grunt. I've read elsewhere that in basses with a P/J pickup arrangement the Jazz pickup at the bridge is often regarded as poor on its own, only useful for blending with the P pickup for a more defined sound. That really isn't the case with this J pickup. Again, like the P, it has more balls than a typical single-coil in this position so is actually quite useful musically on its own. The thing to be aware of about the controls is that instead of a pickup blend knob you've got a pickup selector SWITCH. I've got basses with blend knobs and basses with selector switches but my first ever bass was a Yamaha with a switch so I guess it feels like home to me. Some people prefer to have the specificity of a sweepable knob but to be honest I really enjoy the ease of having 3 distinct sounds available to me so quickly. The tone knob is so useable across its entire range and that's all I need for additional tone shaping. I never thought I'd say that...I used to be an active-3-band-EQ kinda guy but this bass may well have turned me into a passive convert! These are my personal opinions so take them with a pinch of salt but I love this bass!

This is a difficult question to give a single definitive answer to, unfortunately! I'm sure that the likes of 51m0n and Skol can give you some far more informed advice than I can here but here's a few pointers/guidelines to help get your started. There are many variables that can have an impact here e.g. the instrument you play, the type and amount of compression you want (i.e. just a touch of dynamic control, some tonal shaping, say a punchy mid-range, the other instruments you're playing with etc.) Setting up compression can be very difficult especially if it's just the bass in isolation and not playing along with other instruments. This is where I suspect some people think it's not doing anything and then set up so they can noticeably hear the squash, but by that time you have killed all of your dynamic range. Try setting it up at a rehearsal when playing along with other people as it'll be easier to get it right without completely flattening the bass dynamics. The main thing to listen out for is a consistency or evenness of the bass throughout its range in the mix, so the low notes are not overpowering and the higher notes stand out and are clearly audible too. Your lowest notes will will be as even as the highest ones. The Threshold is the point at which the compressor starts to squash; anything exceeding the threshold will be compressed, anything that falls short of it will remain uncompressed. For me, I like to have this set so that the compressor kicks in on the lower notes to stop them overpowering the higher notes. The Ratio is the amount of squash that is applied to the signal once it passes the threshold. Too much and your bass gets too squashed, too little and you may find that things are still uneven. Getting the Threshold and Ratio right are the main things to focus on for now. Try experimenting with the extremes of the range of both the Threshold and Ratio so you get a feel what each of them does. Once you understand what's going on start backing them off until you find the point where they are enhancing the bass and making it more consistent in the mix but you still have dynamic range and subtlety. It's not an easy thing to explain what exactly to listen out for but once you have found what works for you, you'll start to be able to hear and feel it when setting it up for another bass, for example. Things like attack and release times and hard/soft knee setting are also important but I'd focus on the threshold and ratio for now. Hope this helps

To be fair, this bass actually looks better than the legitimate AVRI 74 sunburst. It's a nicer 'burst and the tort plate makes it look like an early 70's model. It will not have any negative effect on the resale value. I've got one of these basses and they are smashing instruments. The chunky neck feels good and is surprisingly easy to play, probably due to the very narrow nut width. The 74 pickups sound suitably nasty too. Hope you get a lot of enjoyment from your lovely new bass.

I think the mis build aspect doesn't detract from the future value at all. The communication from fender in writing is contemporary with the receipt for the bass, so is sufficient provenance. Keep the paperwork safe !!! wicked looking bass, btw.

Personally - I wouldn't be deterred on resale. There are people (like me) who would see it as an interesting, good thing (since that's backed up by Fender now). A prospective/new owner can also get the bass re-verified by Fender at any time. I love the look of it personally! A little envious, in fact and glad you're really liking the bass, in any case!

I find it difficult to come down after a gig, however small (and most of mine are very small!). So yes, sleeping is usually difficult. I used to get this when I did a lot of amateur theatre - but that would be for a week at a time 2-3 times a year. So I would try to take the week off work and then sleep in late. Now with the music, it's just like a series of little 'highs'. And sometimes I can't concentrate too well the next day, as I keep thinking back to it. Anyway, I have found the solution - I'm retiring from work at the end of June! Hurrah!

Wow so how many humble pies am I ordering for everyone???😁

And you're only going to keep hitting it ...

Maybe add 'Solved..!' to the title of this topic..?

Have to agree with all .. i've known JE personally for well over 25 years, and he's a class engineer. I'm pretty sure he was on the crew that developed Peter Grabriels outrageous desk You cant go wrong with an E-pre. Bit of useless info - bumped into John at our local jam bar 6 days ago and managed to get a pint out of him. Happy days

The zero fret on my Basic 5 Ken Taylor is 0.4 millimeter higher than the other frets, it has the same grooves in it and given this appears on quiet a few other Sandberg's I assume it's standard for Sandberg.

Yes I know that feeling. For me playing drums isn't like riding a bike. I couldn't find a drummer and recorded a demo a couple of years ago expecting to go in and bang them out in one take, and ended up an embarassing pile of sweaty jelly in no time. Thanks for the input. I was thinking the premier one looked best too. Plus it comes with practice pads etc. I'll be needing those!

Of those kits, I think the Premier kit is most suitable, once set up and tuned it should be good enough for your needs. Played drums ( 35 years ago ) before I started learning bass and I ended up getting roped into into playing drums one night ( 20 years ago ) at a wedding and thought it would be ok as I didn’t know anyone. Sat down for the first song and there was whole table of people from my home town sitting waving to me. I couldn’t stop my right leg from shaking.

Fair enough , I hope whatever you ended up doing served you well What about just playing in bands for fun , I think the majority of the people on this site are weekend functions players , self funding hobby types , are you involved in that at all ?

i ran away from show biz not long after the world disco champs 78 ,,, & then again 1982 /83 in the music industry ,, why ? a lot of reasons ,, put in simple terms ,, many people who go into show biz / music ,, really want to do it , i did not like the environment being a free ordinary club dancer , show biz / music is ruthless , it can have a great effect on those it disappoints the most ,, to progress in both you learn to tread on other people , i refused to do that , 1981 was a tough year ,,, i decided to get out of the entire rabbit hole , i was the complete opposite of a person who wanted to become famous & would do anything to make it happen ,, means reverted back to a bed room bassist throughout most of the 80s thanks

Isn't this the one John developed for Alan Cringean (ACG Basses)? If so, then you can't go far wrong with it. I've had several of John's preamps over the years, and never a problem yet. As a Precision whore, I'm particularly fond of the P-Retro.

Here are my two. The brown one is my first bass, bought in 1981.....although everything except the tuners has now been replaced in a 35 year attempt to create a Wal/Warwick/Fender hybrid!! Currently passive (JB standard wiring, with an additional series / parallel switch) as when the latest pickups arrived I was too impatient to solder up the electronics. It's had a new lease of life since I fitted a set of EB cobalt flats and will probably be going active again soon. The Wal is ... well, a Wal, just like all the other Wal Customs in the world.

Paging @Dad3353

Good Lord - you should have bought a stolen one, instead. From a fence.

Yes defo chorus on her vocals.

I bet they'd sell more sets if they changed the string model number to SH666....

It amazes me that I can get strings made more quickly than one of the local music shop takes to get some in. Your situation is just as amazing. Well done for being patient. Most people these days would be ranting by now. Looking forward to your NBD post.

I'll do my best, reporting back here Monday!

No that's not normal unfortunately! It should be unmarked and the nut holds the strings in place. Your zero fret is wearing out. Lots of manufactures use stainless steel zero frets to stop this happening so quickly. Those grooves will effect open notes, so you'll get buzzing when playing opens soon (if you aren't already). The fix is to pull and replace the zero fret.

Fair one 're ms Riley. Actually their musical director made a reference to rocker 's guilty pleasures!

Nice one, think that`s a real good move, if you gel with an instrument that much then snapping it up when available just ticks all the right boxes.

Completely agree that fivers are mainly for having more notes under your hand. The extra notes are handy occasionally but it's the simplicity and ease of fingering that does it for me.

aha! Brilliant! well done

I like the La Bella M42S 40-100 that I have been using on my EB3 but have not seen any in stock anywhere for a while now.

Well, I've gone for it! I've bought the Jazz I borrowed, and I'm rapidly falling in love with it, even though it's giving my fretting hand a different type of gyp. But the ability to just whizz across the fretboard rather than race up and down it is fantastic. And that lovely sustained tone... oh, it's gorgeous. The only downside is having to relearn all the starting points for the scales, but that's a small price to pay. Aye, it took a big chunk out of my bank balance but I thought that as I would graduate to a pro axe anyway it seemed sensible to go for broke rather than buy another cheap instrument. So, what two fives did you buy? And have you got a favourite?

No you don't pay extra, you just get to specify the colour, fretboard wood, neck type etc that you can get already on shop models. MM don't have a custom shop. Was it worth it? Definitely, I really want this bass so that's why it's not a whinge. If I'm going to drop that much on a bass I want it in my spec. I particularly wanted an SLO special which are a bit harder to find than a standard neck model.

From personnal experience, the time not to move to a five is half way through your honeymoon necessitating a 3 hour detour and going straight into a gig when we got home thinking "the extra string cannot be THAT tricky".

Google for Scott Devine's video on why not to buy a five. It's actually a cheeky title, because the video is moreabout why fives are good but the hiccups you may have along the way and tips on how to make the transition. If I recall, and from my own experience, fives are heavier, the spacing can be narrower, and the extra string alters your fretboard patterns picture. The upside is being able to work across and not have to go up and down the fingerboard. While 'Jaco never needed more than four strings', a great many pros do play with a five. The best advice I've had and would give is commit 100%. Don't try and play both the 4 and a the 5, you'll never get there. Decide to play a five, find a nice five you like and then never touch the 4 again. FWIW YMMV

I bought some confectionary described as mint, every single one had a bloody hole in it!

Had a mare. Saturday was my birthday, and after several double rum and cokes I found myself in the local boozer listening to a covers band blasting Cocaine by Clapton. Inspired by the guitarists neat playing of what turned out to be the Clapton Custom Shop strat, I ordered a strat copy from Alan George on Facebook - the highest spec one he had. He gave me a tidy discount too due to my drunken ramblings and it being my birthday. So now I have a bank statement that's not very pretty (more due to buying booze than anything else) and a guitar that historically I can't get good sounds from. What I may do, seeing as I enjoyed the Clapton strat, is put in the noiseless pickups and midboost TBX stuff, see if I can coax any good noises that way.

Stew, this is only because I'd run in that Midget so well for you ...

My hearing is in tatters after many years gigging, being road crew and sitting in on hugely over-loud rehearsals, all entirely my fault. He may well of been in the firing line but was he forced into it? Did he not realise it’s a loud piece, could he not have worn ear protectors?

My Fenix by Young Chang Jazz ..now with a lovely French couple

Andy is a top guy and I never expected to see the bass again after 2 years - to say it made my week would be an understatement! My lesson learned is always unload the car post practice and gig regardless of whether you're knackered and it's chucking it down and get insured..... the other guitar, an ACG, was returned in similar circumstances a year ago by a great guy in Hebden Bridge As Andy says bass players are a fantastic community of like minded souls - my faith in human nature is reaffirmed! Cheers Justin