Fat Rich

The E and the A mostly.

I wouldn't worry what name or country of manufacture is on the headstock, there are good and bad examples of all of them. I'd say just play as many as you can get your hands on until you find one you like, I'd think twice about buying online without trying first.

Well, I didn't think there were any more odd combinations of Fender's 50+ year old bits but it seems I was wrong.

[quote name='paul torch' timestamp='1357808120' post='1928570'] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ox-DmJ9H3ng[/media] [/quote] Despite having a smashed up hand at the moment, this clip made me reach for the nearest bass and work out this line note for note. Class!

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1357748616' post='1927774'] I have a real thing for these old Ibanez Roadstars. Still never bought one though,..... [/quote] Ooh that is nice, saw a guy playing one on a Stevie Wonder play along on youtube but didn't know what it was as I couldn't see the headstock. As for the Ritter, I don't like the overall shape much but I like the way he's tucked the output jack on the back of the body and hidden the height adjustment screws behind too.

I always liked the Spector NS / Warwick Streamer shape although it looks a bit dated now. Oddly I never got on with the basses, they just never felt right to me. Also the original Steinberger headless, not exactly pretty but a masterpiece of minimalist design. Fenders were probably great designs when they came out 50 / 60 years ago, I still kind of like them, particularly the Jazz and the Strat but that's just because they're so familiar. But they're pretty agricultural by today's standards, ditto the Stingray.

[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1357671087' post='1926459'] Pics, different bass models, but you get the idea..I'm pretty certain it's one of these, as referred earlier, just took me a while to find the evidence! They made very cheap copies of all kinds of basses, and there was little or no consistency between them, very roughly thrown together, absolute shocking instruments! [/quote] And yet still less awful than Jedwood.

I used to much prefer slim 60s style Jazz necks but I've recently found I play faster on fatter 70s Jazz necks, a complete surprise because I used to hate them. Also once you're used to the chunkier Jazz necks it's not that much different going up to a wider Precision neck. Everyone's different so you've really got to try them for yourself and see what feels best.

I ordered a couple of Status with wooden boards and it changed the whole character of the basses. The fretless sounds really woody, much warmer than my other fretless Status with a phenolic board. The fretted bass with the maple board has less fret clatter than my other fretted phenolic Status basses. The wooden board helps to take the toppiness out of the initial attack of the note. [IMG]http://i751.photobucket.com/albums/xx159/richardmatthews_photos/forum%20stuff/Both.jpg[/IMG]

[quote name='mart' timestamp='1357414034' post='1922419'] Isn't that "23" just the code for that type of bass? Certainly all Strats around that time had a stamp starting with "22" because that was the code for a Strat neck. So you'll see eBay ads saying that it was date-stamped as, e.g. 22nd Jun 71, when actually "22 Jun 71" just means it was a Strat made in June 1971. So this bass was probably just made in the same month as yours. [/quote] Good point, if the month is spelled out then the number before it is the model code. If it's two groups of 4 numbers then you can work out the week, the year and the day of the week from the second group of 4 numbers. Although some Fender experts seem to count Sunday as day 1, others count Monday as day 1.... I don't know which is correct.

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1357398890' post='1922086'] Given mass (and batch) production makes it more likely to occur doesn't it? Whether its from the same piece of wood or not is another thing. If Fender serial numbers go up by, say, 100,000 a year, this is over 300 guitars a day, or one every minute and a half for an 8 hour day. Still amazing to find one with the same day though! [/quote] Also I believe Fender used to do a run of necks, then stack them up ready to be fitted at a later date. I have a Precision where everything seems to date to mid '73 except the neck which is week 03 1972.

Most players have some kind of ideal sound in their head and will probably adjust their playing style to get as close to that as possible whatever bass they pick up. But there's a lot more a player can do to shape their sound by adjusting their technique and dynamics than by fussing over gear (assuming they're not using junk ).

Japanese Fenders are well worth a look but my advice generally is don't worry where it's made, just play as many basses as you can get your hands on until you find one you like and can afford. Fenders are so variable that buying one without playing it first might lead to disappointment.

[quote name='gub' timestamp='1357288884' post='1920300'] What's the problem with 70s fenders ? Sorry if it seems a silly question , I am on the lookout for one and would be good to know ! [/quote] A while ago The Gallery had four Jazz basses from the 70s, two massively heavy, one medium, one very light. It was great to be able to test them back to back: One of the the heavy ones had a pleasing scooped Marcus Miller tone that was great for slap and playing Jaco stuff on the bridge pickup if that's your thing. Build quality was awful but it had been played a lot and it showed. The other heavy one was pristine condition, because it sounded awful. No tone, no resonance, slow neck. Looked nice but useless as an instrument. The medium weight one was OK, nothing special. Also hadn't been played much. The lightweight one was alive, resonated like a pre CBS, great tone, fast neck. Also had been played a lot. Great bass, Fender at it's best.

[quote name='Russ' timestamp='1357229052' post='1919436'] They're far better than the old Bass Cellar. ................. [/quote] Being repeatedly kicked in the trousers is far better than the old Bass Cellar. I've also always had good service from Wunjos, Denmark Street is becoming worth a visit again.

John Paul Jones was playing this sort of thing before joining Led Zep: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwA43FHkxjo

I started off with a double chin but now I've got a double neck. Or you could get one of these: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAZdiJGWdfI

Same process as buying any bass in my opinion. Take your favourite bass to the shop (and amp if necessary) and try both basses together so you can directly compare. If it's a good bass buy it. If it isn't, don't. For £60 I wouldn't worry what model it is or what logo is on it, it's either good or it isn't.

The fingerboard is phenolic, it is a kind of plastic but it feels no different to a lacquered maple fingerboard. The newer ones look like they've got a subtle grain, but you have to look really closely. I've never had a problem with the neck feeling sticky, you can order the neck with a satin finish if you prefer but it may cost a little more. Never tried a Status neck on a Ray, generally graphite necks give you a bit more bite to the sound and more even note response over the neck. Maybe a bit more sustain too, also harmonics will really jump out. The hardest bit is drilling the holes, you may prefer to get an experienced luthier or Basschatter do it for you.

Stick 'em on, if they get in the way, take 'em off. I like the look of them but they're everywhere I want to be, so I take them off and keep them in a safe place.

I'm always surprised how much Anthony Jackson waggles his fingers.

He's had some nice stuff in recently, the stack knob Jazz was rather nice.

[quote name='redstriper' timestamp='1352219255' post='1860314'] .......... [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I have a '63 Fender Jazz bass that most of the neck lacquer has worn off - does this mean the neck is unstable and should be refinished?[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I also have a '90s silver series Squier Jazz bass that has no lacquer left on the neck because the previous owner stripped it off by over cleaning it - is this neck also unstable?[/font][/color] ........ [/quote] I dunno, are they unstable? You're in the best position to tell The '63 probably has enough human oil and sweat to stop much more moisture getting in, the Squier probably less so. However the lacquer may have been sanded off but probably some sealer and lacquer have soaked into the wood and will probably protect it a fair bit. And refinishing a '63 neck would seriously reduce it's value. [quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1352219562' post='1860322'] Oh dear. Musicman owners are fckued then. [/quote] I have an oil finished Stingray and I wouldn't exactly call it unstable, it'll hold it's tuning for a few gigs or sessions. But it needs regular tweaks to the truss rod to keep the action constant, much more so than any other bass I've owned. By contrast my Fenders get the odd tweak maybe twice a year at most, my Status Graphites have never needed adjusting since they left the factory however many years ago that was.

I find a replacement bridge doesn't make as much difference to the sound as you'd expect, maybe a high mass bridge gives you a little more sustain and a slightly more modern sound but with the bass plugged in it probably won't make much difference. Most bridges do the job really well so it comes down to price and availability, the Badass is considered quite cool but isn't always easy to get hold of and doesn't do anything any other bridge can't do. I prefer the old Fender Bent Bit Of Tin bridges as I like my Fenders to sound like Fenders. Some of the Japanese Fenders have pretty average pickups, they're not actually bad but they're just not that special. Wizards are quite popular on here and quite good value, I've got Fender Vintage in my MIJs and they sound good to me. I'd be surprised if your tuners need replacing, get nut, frets and the bridge sorted first and see if it cures the problem. It might just need some fresh strings, a good setup and a bit of time to settle down.

Walnut 5 string bolt-on? I approve! [IMG]http://i751.photobucket.com/albums/xx159/richardmatthews_photos/forum%20stuff/Blackstripe2.jpg[/IMG]