Fat Rich

Sometimes a slight tweak of the truss rod can fix this, or maybe just move the dead spot somewhere else. You could also try slackening the string off and making sure it's got no twist in it, reseat the ball end in the bridge... unlikely to make a difference but maybe worth a try. Or spend a few hundred on a replacement graphite neck

Is it the music coming out of it? It's all about the music right? Isn't it? Or am I on the wrong forum?

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1348125760' post='1809520'] ..... I could never do that 'two soloists' thing where a guitarist plays a line and then the other copies it (unless it was completely rehearsed) because I'm just not quick enough to play what I can hear - there's always a learn/rehearse stage for me. ...... [/quote] That's easily fixed, just put the radio on, or your iPod on shuffle and play along with the melody. Don't get hung up on getting it perfect, just do loads of songs for maybe 15 - 30 mins a day. Before long your fingers will start to find the right notes without you having to think about them. Also some interval ear training will help enormously. When I was away from my bass, I'd have a tune in my head and try to imagine where the notes were on the bass by thinking about the intervals in the phrases. And then when I got back to my bass I could pretty much play it, usually in the wrong key! You'll be surprised how quickly you'll progress and how much easier it is to start playing what's in your imagination without having to work it out first. Edit: Blimey, Daz was thinking the same thing at the same time!

I wouldn't worry too much where they're made, all Fenders are highly variable and should never be bought without trying them first. If you can find somewhere with loads so you directly can compare them and play as many as you can to get a feel for what you like, you'll find something that grabs you sooner or later. In my experience: Pre CBS- generally really good to astonishing, but a few lemons CBS - range from being absolute junk to really really good, highly variable 80s - OK but somehow not that exciting Japanese - generally very good, occasionally excellent - often benefit if you fit better pickups MIM - some diabolical ones out there, some truly excellent, and everything in between MIA - always found them a bit lacklustre although I've a feeling they seem to have got better in last few years Plenty of Fender alternatives too, if it's Fender shaped and you like the look of it have a go! You'll probably find some good deals here on Basschat. Good luck!

It also worth pointing out the ticket / website prices in most of these dealers is often highly optimistic, I've offered well below and been surprised at how quickly they've agreed to it. For example I got £700 off the ticket price of my 72 Jazz although there was a bit of a story behind that (which I won't go into on here as the problem was sorted out promptly and to my satisfaction, I don't think the shop will make that mistake again). Also £650 off my 74 Jazz which was a deal I was happy with, then the shop unexpectedly threw in about £100 of goodies, plus their free setups for 2 years, which involved giving it a free fret dress straight away. So, don't be afraid to make a [b][i]very[/i][/b] cheeky offer!

Has the B disappeared on both pickups? I had EMG Jazz pickups on a five and it sounded pretty good, never tried a P type pickup though. I suspect it's a duff B string if it's both pickups.

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1348007496' post='1808181'] ......................I would certainly want to buy one which functioned properly, played well and was as original as possible (thus implying the need to try before buying)[/quote] Absolutely essential to try before buying in my opinion, do some research by going somewhere that has lots in stock and hear and feel the differences between otherwise identical instruments. The Gallery in Camden seem to have a quite a few in at the moment [url="http://www.thebassgallery.com/Product_VintageGear.cfm"]http://www.thebassga...VintageGear.cfm[/url] also Andy Baxter in Shoreditch usually has loads [url="http://andybaxterbass.com/"]http://andybaxterbass.com/[/url] I tried two almost identical Jazz basses, one a scruffy well worn 72 and one an almost pristine 69. Despite both basses being nice and light, having fresh strings and a good setup the pristine 69 sounded like junk, everything that was bad about CBS basses. The 72 however was great and is now one of my favourite basses. I'd suggest getting out there and playing some now even if you're not ready to buy, it can take a while to find what you're looking for.

The planets are clickable too, links to reviews of the products.

[quote name='Bassman Steve' timestamp='1347975155' post='1807458'] I have been down that route and tend to agree. The days of investment are gone I reckon, instruments are just too heavily priced for there to any room for inflation. A mint condition instrument will always be more valuable and a stack-knob Jazz will always command more than a Precision of the same year etc. My advice (FWIW) is find an instrument you like and buy that. Play it and enjoy it and eventually sell it for maybe a little more than you paid but remember you've enjoyed playing it for the time you have it. [/quote] This is pretty much my thinking. I've bought a fairly tidy 75 Precision and a few scruffy 70s Jazzes that I particularly like the sound and feel of, but probably wouldn't appeal to most collectors. I suspect they might eventually go up in value slightly or maybe just keep up with inflation, but I'll enjoy playing them in the meantime and not worry too much if I put a few extra dinks in them. Buying vintage is probably a wiser investment than buying a custom bass or an expensive Fender model from new which will lose some it's value instantly. But all collectable / vintage markets suffer from dips from time to time so nothing's guaranteed. But if you invest your money carefully in property (particularly in London and the south-east) you can make much more money much more quickly and buy any bass you want without worrying about resale value

Someone put solder on the tops of the pole pieces on one of my Jazzes, looks nice and shiny but not sure what harm heating up the pickups could do. Mine sounds fine but I wouldn't recommend it.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1347904434' post='1806474'] Trouble is the limes in funk and reggae can have an appeal but the content can be seriously lame. Good Times is a great example; intersting line, a little challenging etc but the tune is throwaway nonsense so whyt bother Reggae can be very repetitive and samey etc. It's not all about the bass. [/quote] But does all music have to be worthy? Can't some of it just be fun and throwaway? I'd say generally the more worthy and meaningful funk tries to be, the less funky it becomes (there are exceptions of course).

Did anyone click on the weird face floating across the screen?

[quote name='Evil Undead' timestamp='1347868494' post='1805811'] If it wasn't her, I don't think she would be allowed to put it up on her website someone would have kicked off by now if it were false [url="http://www.carolkaye.com/www/library/basshits.htm"]http://www.carolkaye...ry/basshits.htm[/url] [/quote] You know she's claiming to have played half of James Jamerson's lines at Motown despite other musicians and producers saying she didn't? It's a shame, she's a great player but it's not doing her credibility any good.

Could have been worse, at least the charity didn't give the money they raised to you and your bandmates for music lessons Not being able to hear yourself can cause all sorts of problems, again the more experienced your band is the less you'll be affected. You'll probably all spend more time on soundcheck next time and have a really good gig.

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1347701575' post='1804104'] [sup][size=5][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Here's my take on the question, based on basses I've never played:-[/font] [font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Musicman Gamechanger[/font] [font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Musicman Bongo fretless[/font] [font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Wal[/font] [font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Alembic[/font] [font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Status[/font][/size][/sup] [/quote] I reckon you'd need a lifetime to try all the different sounds on a Gamechanger. I'm pretty satisfied with the basses I've got, plus I've been lucky enough to recently try: 1961 slab board VVT Jazz..... best bass I've ever played, felt like I'd played it all my life 1960 slab board Precision.... also stunning although I'm less familiar with precisions a couple of Foderas.... very nice but didn't make me want to rush out and buy one Would like to test out the above for longer (a few years please), plus a Ritter of some sort would be interesting although I don't like the styling much.

Just looked at some G&L images and they look pretty similar. There was a thread on here about the MicroTilt system a while ago: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/182882-fender-3-bolt-neck-and-micro-tilt-adjustment-evil-or-genius/page__hl__micro%20tilt"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/182882-fender-3-bolt-neck-and-micro-tilt-adjustment-evil-or-genius/page__hl__micro%20tilt[/url] They were frowned on because the necks weren't always held in place properly on some 70s Fenders, my feeling is that it was more to do with the sloppy neck pockets due to worn out templates. I've a 74 Jazz which is rock solid and has a tight neck pocket, and a 78 with a comedy neck pocket, the neck moves about fairly easily if you knock it. Setting the tilt of a neck isn't something that needs regular adjustment so maybe the Micro Tilt is an over engineered solution, four bolts and bit of sandpaper / veneer seems to work well enough for most people.

3 bolt Fenders?

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1347621411' post='1803104'] It would be interesting to hear what effect the Helium would have considering sound travels faster through it then normal air. Even in a sealed cab it's got to make a difference I would imagine. [/quote] If you filled the whole venue with Helium the audience would speak very highly of your playing.

I started out on 4 but soon switched to 5 exclusively for many years. I found switching over to 5 quite easy but couldn't go backwards and forwards between 5 and 4 without getting confused. I had a 6 but just found I didn't really play the extra string, I'm more of a groove player. More recently I've been playing 4s more often again, and I'm now able to switch between 4 and 5 with no problems. So I'm playing 4 string Fenders for a more vintage sound, and 5 string Status basses for a more modern sound.

Leo Fender must have thought it was a good idea, he went on to make the Stingray

[quote name='lettsguitars' timestamp='1347530623' post='1801975'] All this 24 hr quarter turn stuff is bull. Especially on a natural finished neck. A good neck should move instantly with maybe slight adjustment later on. [/quote] Exactly, maybe unless it's a vintage instrument with a worn and abused truss rod or a real cheapy neck that would probably fail anyway sooner or later. Bass necks are tougher than you think, watch Fender testing their necks before assembly by bending them an astonishing amount about 2 minutes in: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHdQLaoDOoU"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHdQLaoDOoU[/url]

Definitely not structural, it's very rare for a bass body to come apart even on the cheapest of instruments unless seriously abused. As has been said, it's the finish sinking a little into the grain of the wood. Some woods (particularly ash) are very porous and soak up a lot of the sealer. On a vintage bass it would be described as "a nicely checked aged finish with lots of mojo"

Mmmm, very nice!

[quote name='noelk27' timestamp='1347188264' post='1797743'] Not on the first of his StingRays - the one, estimated to be a '79, purchased from Sam Ash, in New York, in '82. That one has been re-boarded, with a 100+ year old touchboard from a double bass, but is otherwise stock. He did purchase another two fretless StingRays, one in an identical finish to his '79. Were Status manufacturing carbon graphite Stingray necks prior to July '83? [/quote] Good question, they were founded in '81 but didn't produce many basses until '82. I think they've been making Fender and Musicman replacement necks for decades but '83 might be a bit early. Here's the clip featuring the Stingray with an all black neck: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-QnwJ3fBCU[/media] Pino Palladino is a Status Endorsee so I put 2 and 2 together..... but it's probably for his Vintage PP Signature bass on the Status website.

[quote name='BarnacleBob' timestamp='1347184344' post='1797679'] Tired of waiting for the right Wal or Steinberger XL2 to come along I am off to check out a bass I have lusted after since they first came out in the eighties. We'll tell you what it is after these commercials........... BB [/quote] Was it made in Essex?