skej21

I was thinking maybe trying it with the '60s Classic and see?

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1479546033' post='3177324'] No, I haven't. I tried flats on a Precision and couldn't get used to the feel of them, so went back to my usual round wounds. [/quote] Fair enough. I agree wth you about the sound of a jazz in certain band contexts and thought I'd give flats a go on my '62 RI Jazz and found that I was much happier with the tone. Thought it might have been worth a mention (but apparently not!)

From what I've heard, TC have changed distributors recently, which has resulted in a re-evaluation of RRP and retailer margins. Looks like they are really not working in favour of the retailers and with music retail the way it is at the moment, I'd not be surprised if some places stop stocking them going forward and concentrate on more retailer-friendly products.

Just out of curiosity FinnDave, have you ever strung up a jazz bass with flats before? If so, did you have a similar opinion on the sound as you do with the jazz bass with rounds?

[quote name='Bigwan' timestamp='1478550987' post='3169873'] Oh yeah, but let's keep an eye on budget! I should have said sub-Roadworn money... [/quote] :-D http://basschat.co.uk/topic/294183-fender-precision-1958-american-vintage-reissue/page__p__3162784__hl__fender%20american%20vintage__fromsearch__1#entry3162784

[quote name='Bigwan' timestamp='1478549844' post='3169857'] Can anyone suggest a precision with a 1.75" wide nut? Fender 50s Roadworn (and other 50s varieties) Fender Roger Waters I believe some Steve Harris sigs. Anything else I've missed? Doesn't have to be Fender... [/quote] Just working from memory but I think the American Vintage '58 and '63 both have a 44.1mm nut width too :-) Pino Palladino CS model comes in at 44.45mm.

I have the ACS Pro 17s and love them too. I used Thunderplug Pros for a while which did the job but weren't very comfortable. I even wear my ACS plugs in the cinema now after finding some films intensely loud and researching to find that the volume levels regularly exceed 90db (which is dangerous when exposed to for long periods of time) and as a regular cinema-goer, this caused me just as much concern as rehearsing/gigging!

[quote name='LewisK1975' timestamp='1477916676' post='3165195'] Most recently was after re-stringing a bass on Saturday with Dunlop super bright steels. Bloody 0.40 broke at the ball end when I was stretching it. Never had that happen before! Been using the Nickels for a while and haven't had any such issues with those.....hmmm. [/quote] Just a quick note that might explain this one. All Dunlop strings are pre-stretched so that you can put them straight on and have minimal issues with tuning stability etc. They did this after feedback from guitar/bass techs who suggested that stretching in strings was the most time consuming part of fixing a snapped string mid-gig. Maybe the additional stretching you were attempting was too much?

IF the bass did require a refret, the buyer should've taken the following steps. 1) Contacted you in a reasonable time (legally distance selling regulations are only 14 days for items bought online so maybe a grace period of 30 days is fair). 2) Explained what they thought the issue was, backed up by a quote from a luthier. 3) Allowed you to counter his thoughts with the paperwork that gave the bass the all clear from your luthier when it was in for a set-up pre-sale. 4) Discussed a compromise (maybe pay half each etc). By taking no reasonable steps to solve the issue with you and simply pursuing his own idea of an outcome and expecting you to pay, I would feel completely guilt free and point out in your response that you may have been accommodating had you been given an opportunity to independently diagnose and resolve any issues in a timely manner.

Diamonds on the soles of her shoes - Bakithi Kumalo. Dynamic, melodic, a beautiful fretless tone, some (rare) tasteful slap and a stunning groove with feel and great rhythmic interest. Also managing to fit a bass part that seems so far removed from stereotypical 'pop' bass lines into exactly that setting just shows how great and well-crafted Bakithi's line on this track is.

[quote name='Mylkinut' timestamp='1476470545' post='3154689'] Picked them up yesterday. Not quite as pretty as many here, but I'm chuffed to bits [url="http://s3.photobucket.com/user/mylkinut/media/DSCN7255_zpsqgxyjrz2.jpg.html"][/url] [/quote] Lovely!

[quote name='philw' timestamp='1476427413' post='3154118'] I didn't actually really have a problem with paying for a box, and actually, I wasn't surprised that GAK had finally got wise to "chancers" (first time anybody's called me that, not sure if I should be pleased of offended) wanting boxes for shipping eBay sales. And in the context of selling a bass on eBay (£200 inc shipping), a fiver was fine as far as I was concerned. Yes, a bike box might have been available for free, but the time I would then have to spend faffing and cutting would also have "cost". Now, the fiver may well have gone straight in the pocket of the shop floor guy who sold me the box, but he did the deal in front of at least two colleagues so they would have seen what was going on. But, margins on Squire product are very tight for both GAK and Fender, and its possible that part of GAK's purchasing deal with Fender includes a discount on returned boxes - this could explain why the fiver couldn't go through the books (although I seem to remember it did go through the till, 'cause I proffered a tenner and got a fiver changel). Of course what subsequently happened to the fiver is a mystery. P [/quote] No offence meant by 'chancer'... I simply mean that if you walk in with no expectation of getting one and take a chance by asking :-) as opposed to the people who would come in, having already arranged to ship the instrument they had sold that day and then getting quite irate when we couldn't provide what they needed there and then for free. We have a saying 'round my way which is 'shy bairns get nowt' so I'm happy with the idea of 'you don't get if you don't ask!' and would always help when possible - In fact I gave a fair few boxes to Basschatters! If someone came early enough in the day and we hadn't binned them, we'd always give them away if we could but in this day and age, sometimes 'come back tomorrow and we can help' just isn't an immediate enough solution for some people!

[quote name='Kev' timestamp='1476394650' post='3154024'] Out of interest, why do you feel there is absolutely nothing wrong with charging? The box technically belongs to the person who purchased the item it came in. Why should a shop be allowed to sell a product twice? To me, that is absolutely wrong, no nothing about it. You really can't get anything for free these days [/quote] I disagree. Technically the instrument is purchased by the shop, who can do what they want with it and then sell it on. If they decide to sell the instrument with a case, a box, or the set of picks in the box (or even give it a free set up to get it playing right before putting it on display) that's up to them, not the eventual owner. Although its obvious that because they are a store, they would accommodate a customer if they asked for the box. However, a chancer walking in from the street wanting to have a box to sell/ship a second hand instrument is essentially taking the box away from one of their customers (a potential deal clincher when closing a sale), so i could see why they would say 'no'... charging is just shady though IMO.

In the guitar shop I worked in we HAD to throw the boxes away. We couldn't store them as it was a fire hazard and would've caused insurance issues in the event of a fire. Sounds like these guys were either trying to put people off asking it or after making a quick few quid on the side.

I have a pair of TKS S112s and they are great. Lightweight, well-constructed, lovely sound and stylish. I run them with a Markbass LMIII and they are loud enough and focussed. With my P bass (with flats) they sound perfect for anything old school and when I run my ACG Finn through them they really capture the more modern clarity of that bass too. Basically, I've tried the Aguilar DB range, GS range, , SL range, Markbass cabs, Mesa Boogie cabs and so on and the TKS cabs are hands down my favourite. Also, find a way to justify the V-frame because it'll be worth it long-term. They just look so much nicer (IMO)!

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1476044497' post='3150830'] I forgot about the bleedin' feedback issues! I've even got a Schaller 411 mag pickup on my upright bass [/quote] For the amount of hassle they cause (and I even forget to mention that they are hard to find gigbags/cases for AND take up more space than an electric!) I honestly can't see what the offer to make it worthwhile.

Completely agree with the above. I've never owned one but all the open mics and 'jam' sessions I've been to that have had one, it's always a cheaply-built one like the Fender CB100 or Ibanez models. The sound board is (obviously!) not big enough to project properly like an upright, is made from cheap laminate wood so sounds bad acoustically and you inevitably end up plugging it in, at which the acoustic properties (if any) of the instrument goes straight out the window and you then rely on the cheap, crappy preamp which just sounds like a bad electric bass with the added hassle of feedback... I just can't see where they can be useful these days. I've played a Michael Kelly once which was beautiful and actually built from decent materials and well-constructed but again, needed plugging in. The only bass I've played that I would consider would be one of the fretless Rob Allen Deep basses. Sonically it was the only bass that offered something different in an acoustic setting that would've been worthwhile.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1476002712' post='3150294'] They look great! [/quote] Thanks! I might even bring them to the next North-East bass bash ;-)

[quote name='Lw.' timestamp='1461602386' post='3036050'] Cheers - I was going to go for just black covering with the oxblood grill but took the risk on the green, I really like it - looks good in the house but on dark stages it's probably just going to look black (which is good as it's not too flashy). [/quote] Just got my second in the aforementioned combination... one sounds great but two is something else!! I've played through Mesa, Aguilar, Ampeg etc in the past and these are right up there (whether I'm using my LMIII or a bigger valve head).

Met Craig a number of times when playing with The Mission and Spear of Destiny and he's a lovely bloke (my brother-in-law is the current drummer for The Mission and played with Craig in Spear/Theatre of Hate in recent years too, so always go and see them if they're nearby).

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1475522252' post='3146648'] For a rock band and that budget I would be seriously looking at the Fender USA Geddy Lee sig! [/quote] Ticks the 'thin neck' box too... and they look beautiful!

Karlfer won't be able to take part in this... he'll have sold the bass in the photo by the time he posts the pic!

Interesting to see what appears to be a 'relic'd' finished Maruszczyk on the Facebook page today... It would appear they're really trying to put Fender to the sword! https://www.facebook.com/MARUSZCZYKINSTRUMENTS/posts/10153650676217396:0

[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1474317255' post='3137144'] A Fender made with USA parts assembled by a Mexican in Mexico, or a Fender with USA parts assembled by a Mexican in the USA... [/quote] The only problem with that is that the Mexican range is Mexican parts (not USA parts). Regardless of who/where builds them, the Mexican parts are considerably different to the US parts in terms of what is classed as an acceptable quality. The Mexican factory has ZERO wood waste. It's entire ethic is built on producing as many basses as possible from the resources they have. If that means cobbling a body together from 80 tiny chunks of scrap wood cutoffs glued together, that's what they do. USA is maximum 3 bits per body, usually 2 piece in the American Deluxe/American Vintage range. It will never be more than 3. Same principles apply to the quality of components in the pickups, hardware, wiring etc. All as cheap as they can source for the Mexican range (implying Mex Std versus Am Std). Don't get me wrong, the fact that the Mexican models play and are constructed to a higher standard than they ever were before and feel similar in playability to the US range and the fact that Fender have a work force that is trained together and works across both factories is testament to the fact they have tried to close the construction quality gap between the two main ranges. This doesn't, however, take away from the fact that it is not as clear cut as this commonly cited (and slightly inaccurate) belief would imply!

[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1473848321' post='3133514'] Thing is, there's keeping time, and there's keeping time with the band. Listen to any live footage of Guns n Roses during their first album. Steve Adler is not a rock solid time keeper, but they slow and speed up as a band, which kind of adds to what they were doing. [/quote] I probably should've phrased that as 'dictating time'... Fluctuations and a rubato feel are fine as long as it's clear that one person is leading and you know who to follow. You can't have more than one person dictating time or it just gets too loose and sloppy. One person needs to be setting the time and the others playing off it IMO. I always prefer that to be the drummer.