Fat Rich

Um... I lost count of the basses a while ago, I seem to be festooned with the things. Nowhere near 90 though so I guess that's all right.

The bass in question is a September '72 neck, Oct '72 pots, '73 serial number neck plate Precision with no gasket, I guess that's nothing to worry about. The 'A' width neck was something I didn't notice when I bought it and explains why it feels so nice to play, it's exactly the same as my familiar old Jazz bass. Has a tight neck joint and resonates really well. Thanks again for the replies.

Some Fenders resonate well and have loads of tone and character, some sound dead and lifeless. Most are somewhere in between. I've been playing Fenders for over 25 years and I think generally the consistency and quality control is as good now as it's ever been, but I'd still recommend playing it before you buy.

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1360939053' post='1978703'] You have heard "Whats Going On" haven't you [/quote] Yup, a truly great album. Marvin had threatened to leave Motown unless he was given creative control over his music. Berry Gordy reluctantly agreed, tried to can the project when it overran in time and costs, but finally accepted it when it became hugely successful and the money started rolling in. Same story with "Songs in the Key of Life". You could almost argue these were great albums [i]despite[/i] being released on Motown, not because of it . Maybe Marvin and Stevie wanted to do something different to the "Motown sound" because of acts like the Beatles, who had split up by this time and moved onto other things. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Motown, it's first golden age was probably the Detroit years between about '62 and '69 (the same time as the Beatles). But as has been said it was a huge team of writers and producers behind a large number great artists, plus the Funk Brothers adding some great musicianship to the mix. Most of these people were highly experienced older musicians who'd paid their dues for many years, as opposed to four lads from Liverpool in their 20s drawing from all sorts of influences but also seemingly pulling new ideas out of thin air. I'd happily compare Little Stevie Wonder to the Beatles but probably not Motown.

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1360920771' post='1978265'] Perhaps I will, but do i really need to? Maybe it is worth a look but these has never been a shortage of academics, not to mention classical orchestras, ready to exploit the hype of the Beatles to bring attention to their own work or to illustrate musical theory to the masses. I'm sure that he may well have grown up with a love of the Beatles like you and so many others. However I haven't seen it so this is speculation. No one is denying that the Fabs wrote songs with unusual song structures but were they the greatest songwriters ever or merely doing the equivalent of a Btec in music theory & composition with George Martin as the tutor?? MacCartney's later attempt at classical music was hardly stellar was it? [/quote] I think it's pretty relevant to the discussions here but it's up to you. You might want to watch it just to pull apart some flaws in his arguments, for example he states that the Beatles were the first to include Indian influences in pop music when I always thought it was The Kinks with "See My Friends". He also states that the Beatles were at the forefront of experimenting with sound while showing clips of the BBC Radiophonic workshop that was established in the 50s, (partly to recreate the sounds in Spike Milligan's head for The Goon Show, the Beatles were big Goon fans). George Martin worked on some Radiophonic stuff before he produced the Beatles so it's not surprising they went that route with their own music. Despite this I think the Beatles changed pop music for the better, along with some other great acts / songwriters of the time.

This'll annoy some of you! Some interesting analysis of their music though: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKK0bCSIR4E

Thanks for all the replies so far, really useful info!

I heard that he found out he wasn't getting paid the same as the others, doubt he'd want to go back after that and being ditched without being told first. And yes, I'd like to see him back, more for his backing vocals than his bass playing.

I probably wouldn't but it's your neck!

I've a couple of questions for the Fender experts regarding Precision basses from the 70s: 1: When did Fender start adding the plastic spacer / gasket behind the neck plate to protect the finish? 2: Is an "A" width Precision neck (a custom option) worth more than a regular "B" width Precision? 3: Was Candy Apple Red completely discontinued in 1973 or did a few custom ones still escape the factory? 4: Were the Fender factory doing so many random things that you get some odd combinations of things it's all irrelevant! Thanks in advance!

He's definitely moved slap playing on in the 80s, not a big fan of it myself. Met him a couple of times and he is a top bloke, he's a great drummer too. As has been said his fingerstyle playing is often overlooked. Here's some noodling that's probably not what you'd expect from him: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSXtQV7m2PM&feature=related

[quote name='Ashborygirl' timestamp='1360609659' post='1973357'] What I love about 70s Fenders is that everyone, but everyone, has got hold of a good one. I never see anyone say they have a 70s Fender & it's a dog. Really odd since received wisdom is that the good ones were almost accidental on Fender's part. You just have to look in the for sale section to see "good" 70s Jazz basses with pickup routes that look like Ozzy Osbourne did them with a spoon. [/quote] I've a couple of really great playing and sounding 70s Fenders, and one that's heavy and has that nasal honk that only sort of works for slap. But the routing on all of them is indeed comical.

Might just be because they're super fresh out of the packet, they might sound more hefty when they lose their initial zing. As mentioned before, I find Status Hotwires have the strongest fundamental, plus a little top end zingyness. And they're cheap too, maybe give them a try next..

I had a similar experience the first time I went to the Gallery and thought about never returning, however subsequent visits Alex couldn't have been more helpful. There's another pretty much identical thread, Alex posted and said he could be a bit grumpy sometimes but would try to be friendlier in future. Also didn't I read somewhere he's moving on to other things soon? Or did I dream it?!

Cool, glad it worked out!

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1360570789' post='1972310'] 'Almost all new music'?! [/quote] Ok, maybe not all new music. I don't seem to be digging around so much finding new acts that inspire me, so it's the music that I do get to hear on the radio and TV. That's probably a big part of the problem I'm having, I need to start looking harder for good music. [quote name='fumps' timestamp='1360572824' post='1972337'] ...... The issue I have with this is that we hear older guys harp on about how the older bands (Like Zeppy-Beatles-Queen-Deep purple etc) are so much better & the style of music is far more superior but then get annoyed at new or younger bands pay homage to these very same bands. I hear older guys say that new music is crap & they don't like it but them moan when young kids play music from the very same generation that is supposedly better...... I mean is there anything that younger bands/kids can do that is ok by the old gits nowadays ? ....... [/quote] I'm not arguing the fact that I come across as a miserable old git I'm a bit disgusted with myself for it and it's a fairly recent development for me too. I'm also not saying that newer bands doing the same style of music as the stuff I listened to years ago are any worse, just that I've heard it before and doesn't give me that buzz / chills down the spine sensation of hearing something unexpected.

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1360412936' post='1969950'] Excellent! Haven't seen you for ages. Will be good to catch up [/quote] Cool, looking forward to it!

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1360516563' post='1971570'] This idea that vintage basses are lighter than when they came out of the factory has been around a long time , and was always spurious , and , at best , anecdotal and difficult to prove . It may well have its' origins in the era when Fender basses were on the whole getting to be on the heavy side and people began to take notice of how much lighter some of the older ones were by comparison . Heavy basses will still be heavy in the future , that is the bottom line ( no pun intended ) . [/quote] Pretty sure I saw an interview with Roger Sadowsky saying he now chambers his instruments to get them down to the weight they used to be with older stocks of wood. Maybe there's an element of speed growing / kiln drying that's affecting the weight of newer wood? Edit: about 16 minutes in: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBSg1_CRfWY

My '72 Jazz weighs very little and resonates beautifully, my '74 Jazz is very light too and also sounds alive. My 78 Jazz weighs a ton and sounds soggy, I reckon I should put a bucket under it to catch all the moisture that's going pour out in the next couple of years.

5 years ago I wouldn't have agreed with you, but recently I'm finding almost all new music doesn't grab me. It's mostly all been done before, and the stuff that hasn't been done before wasn't done for a good reason. Probably not a good state of mind for a musician, maybe it's normal after 30+ years of listening and studying songs.

I think it was a black US Precision, a strap on, and a rock. Or something like that.

I know stainless steel strings look a bit dull, they also sometimes feel a bit "grabby" under the fingers when they're new but after a week or so they seem to smooth off, maybe they'll get shinier too! Anyway they should last you a while, I put some on my Jazzes back in September and they're only just starting to go off a bit.

Hope to be there on the Saturday.

Cool, hope to be there!

Some Fenders really resonate well, most less so, and some are completely dead. You have to try a lot to find a really good one.