Fat Rich

He's a great bass player but I thought his slapping was raucous, in yer face and over the top and detracted from what the others were doing. However I thought the raucous, in yer face and over the top drum solo was great fun.

It'll be enjoyed by the person who's buying my house, not me. I have a name for the boiler but Basschat is supposed to be a family show.

[quote name='Bassman Steve' timestamp='1342176954' post='1730831'] Ah, you were the other interested party? As soon as Alex mentioned someone else I knew I'd have to act quickly or lose it. It just oozed playability, even in the pictures. It looks dreadful up close but plays beuatifully (with a B profile neck, the same as my #1 bass). I need to renew the side markets as they're black and invisible against the wear on the neck but that's it really. Apologies for beating you to it. Maybe the stripped '66 on Andy Baxter will be of interest? [/quote] I never got as far as contacting the Gallery, unfortunately I've had to spend the money on a new boiler. There is indeed several basses on Andy's site I'd love to own but it's going to be a while before I have the readies. Enjoy your new bass!

[quote name='bartelby' timestamp='1342121548' post='1730076'] Leave it. [/quote] I wish you had left it, I had my eye on that one on the Gallery website!

Freddie's "Forget me Nots" is like early Marcus Miller stuff, great melodic basslines that fit the song but just happen to be played with the thumb.

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1342074255' post='1728991'] It's been done for years, I don't get this, the only thing it rules out are reading gigs, everthing else is doable, from weddings to festivals and stadium concerts. So it's not nessessary is it. [/quote] Fair enough, it just seems like a few people here are trying to promote ignorance. I struggle to read music or to fish out mouldy old bits of music theory from the back of my brain in order to try and play something different, but it's not something I'm proud of. I'm just always surprised when people stand up and loudly say "I'm a musical thicko and you should be too..... and your expensive bass is *****, mate!"

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1342025647' post='1728370'] What has music theory got to do with it? [/quote] Seems like it's also quite fashionable to say music theory isn't necessary to play bass, seems to often be the same people who say expensive gear isn't necessary. Maybe I'm imagining it

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1342021479' post='1728266'] lets divide the market into 4. (and not strictly by cost either ) [b]Beginner [/b]-cheaper starter basses, your squiers, staggs, westfields, SX and whatnot. Mass produced [b]Standard [/b]- Fender, Musicman, Rick, Warwick, Yamaha etc, mass produced standard basses. Some of the cheaper or chinese built lines will blur into beginner and the top end up to the specialist but they make up a lot of what we play. Generally available on the high street. Mass produced [b]Specialist [/b]- Limited production basses, Status, overwater, Fodera, Ken Smith, Sadowsky US etc generally basses made by people the rest of your band won't have heard of. Either high quality or specialist application instruments - bought from specialist bass shops or stock from the builders. Go to the bass direct website and look down the bass makes bar... most of that lot. Batch production. [b]Custom- [/b]Massive overlap with the previous category. Made to order and to customers specs, often hand made by smaller independent builders to order, spec what woods you want etc and they build it. More expensive (often) one off building, bass to your spec, bugger all resale value. Often the specialist builders will offer this service. (I don't mean musicman or whatever letting you decide what colour paint job you have, it's a structural custom, not cosmetic) if you have a look at the sale forum now.... I don't know if it says anything about fashion or not, but theres an awful lot of the kinda specialist bass makes, up for sale [/quote] And a lot of pro players use a bass from the standard category, have been using the same gear for years and aren't interested in what else is out there. There is indeed a lot of very nice specialist basses up for sale on Basschat, there's quite a lot of people on Basschat who are proud and quite vocal about playing a Precision (with little or no music theory in some cases) because it's a bit primitive and turn their nose up at expensive gear. However, I'm not convinced that Basschat is actually that representative, a lot of busy musicians don't hang around on forums talking about the sonic differences between a Badass II or a standard Fender item, they're out there playing music. I'm not knocking Basschat, it's a great forum and I enjoy the discussion we have about the minutiae of gear. But ultimately it's all a bit pointless and we probably should be spending more time in the Theory and Technique section.

I'm using heavier guage fingers than I did a few years ago.

Still playing Status and reliccy Fenders, can't get more unfashionable than that if this thread is to be believed. Plus it looks like I got dressed in the dark, for the full effect.

Judging by the photos it's probably been a fretless for a while with the finish taken off to lose the brightness of a finished maple neck. Then some bad finish and a not too good fret job afterwards. Not sure about the value as 80s stuff isn't that sought after yet, but you couldn't give 70s Fenders away a couple of decades ago and now they're fetching £2K plus. If you like the way it sounds and plays then it's probably worth getting it fixed up sometime, as has been said the Gallery would be able to give you a quote.

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1342004665' post='1727749'] Bugger. My work PC won't let me use soundcloud... [/quote] Me neither, I think we may have overloaded it

Not a big fan of black blocks and binding but on an all black bass I think it looks pretty cool!

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1341994557' post='1727466'] ......I give it all of two posts until someone knows [/quote] One post and 13 minutes including links, good old Basschat!

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1341995018' post='1727474'] This.... Personally, I don't know why some people insist on seeing design faults or outdated components as evidence of an instrument's superiority - it's like Harley Davidson riders in the motorcycle world! [/quote] Couldn't agree more which is why my other basses are carbon fibre, active, fancy EQ, high mass monsters. Some people seem to hate them because they're modern when in fact they were designed a little over 30 years ago. Unfortunately a lot of people these days seem to want that "classic Fender sound" more often than not, and an unmodified Fender is one of the best ways to give them that. Plus image seems to be more important these days, playing something a bit different seems to be frowned upon in a lot of genres.

[quote name='bartelby' timestamp='1341992708' post='1727432'] I prefer his acting... [/quote] NSFW: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L2qP-xQ_7o"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L2qP-xQ_7o[/url]

I know my 70s Jazzes have much deeper necks than my 60s ones, and also the strings are spaced slightly closer together at the nut on the 70s too maybe to accommodate the binding round the edge of the fingerboard. I was quite surprised that such chunky Jazz necks are actually quite fast to play. I don't know if any of the 70s reissue basses replicate this though.

[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1341957521' post='1727167'] Didnt they have a small hole for tilt adjustment though, in the neckplate? [/quote] Yes, 3 bolts and a small allen key adjuster for the MicroTilt. Which are completely seized on both my 70s Jazzes

[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1341937180' post='1726557'] Fair point, although they used the bullet truss rod from i think '75 on a maple block neck? (Unsure, not big on 70's stuff, but it was around '76/'76?) [/quote] Transition was '74, my '74 has the 3 bolts, bullet trussrod at headstock, pearl inlays and white binding.... but still has the notch out of the scratchplate like the 4 bolt necks with the adjuster at the heel of the neck.

[quote name='bremen' timestamp='1341931755' post='1726408'] I saw a video where someone (I think it might have been official Fender marketing) explained that a Precision was like a punch in the gob, whereas a Jazz was a slap on the cheek. Presumably that makes a Thunderbird a boot in the bollocks. [/quote] And a telecaster is like a face full of gnats.

[quote name='Fuzzbass2000' timestamp='1341925839' post='1726280'] Always thought P's reminded me of wood/oak and Jazzes reminded me of iron/steel. Not the sound.... but impact.. if that makes sense. ...... [/quote] Can't say I've ever been hit with a bass, there are probably a few drummers who could back up your findings

To my ears you lose that classic vintage Fender sound as soon as you start upgrading any of the cheap junk Fender put on their basses, so I've gone back to the BBOT on my Precisions and Jazzes having tried Badass, Schaller and others. You're probably right to say a high mass bridge is more suited to a Jazz, once you start blending the pickups it has a more scooped sound and I've a feeling the extra mass helps that along by taking some of the edge of the treble and some of the clank out of the bass frequencies. But it's not going to make a noticeable difference in tone to anyone in the audience, it's probably all a bit pointless really.

I had earthing issues when I tried Elixirs even though I liked the sound and feel of the strings and they lasted forever. I'll have to give coated Slinkys a go.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1341568111' post='1720995'] Yes, it's well horny. To the OP: The blocks should match the binding! Having black blocks with white binding would be like a post-op tranny wearing a jock-strap! Or something like that, anyway. [/quote] If a post-op tranny ends up with black blocks they should ask for a full refund.

No idea, I slacken the string off and twiddle the threaded bit of the saddle screw that sticks out of the bottom of the bridge piece. Much easier as all my basses seem to need different size allen keys and I can never find one quickly.